SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Corruption

Norman Lamb: To ask the Solicitor-General what meetings officials from the Attorney-General's Office have had with  (a) business organisations and  (b) individual companies on retaining the provision for the Attorney-General's consent for prosecution of corruption offences involving national security and international relations in the last 12 months; on what dates such meetings were held; and who attended each meeting.

Vera Baird: There have been no such meetings in the last 12 months. A public consultation was held on the role of the Attorney-General from July to November 2007, and the results were published in March 2008.

Corruption

Norman Lamb: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  what representations the Attorney-General's Office has received from  (a) the Confederation of British Industry,  (b) the Society of British Aerospace Companies and  (c) the International Chambers of Commerce on retaining the provision for the Attorney-General's consent for prosecution of corruption offences involving national security and international relations in the last 12 months; and if she will place in the Library a copy of each such representation;
	(2)  from which  (a) companies and  (b) individuals the Attorney-General's Office has received written representations on retaining provision for the Attorney-General's consent for prosecution of corruption offences involving national security and international relations in the last 12 months; and if she will place in the Library a copy of such representation.

Vera Baird: No such representations have been received in the last 12 months. A public consultation was held on the role of the Attorney-General from July to November 2007, and the results were published in March 2008.

CPS Merseyside: Witnesses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what research has been undertaken on witnesses' opinions of their treatment by Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service.

Vera Baird: There has been no specific research on witnesses' opinions of their treatment by Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Merseyside. However, data is available to all the criminal justice agencies in Merseyside from the Witness and Victim Experience Survey (WAVES) commissioned by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	The WAVES survey has been designed to measure local and national victim and witness satisfaction with the Criminal Justice System (CJS). The survey involves telephone interviews with a number of victims and witnesses from each of the 42 local criminal justice board (LCJB) areas and provides important information to drive improvements to services and support for victims and witnesses.
	In addition to the WAVES survey, the LCJB in Merseyside is proposing to commission its own victim and witness survey, which will provide additional local information for the various CJS agencies to act upon.

Serious Fraud Office: Recycling

Robert Wilson: To ask the Solicitor-General how much and what proportion of waste by volume the Serious Fraud Office has recycled in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The following table shows the volume of material sent for recycling by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in each of the last five financial years:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total volume recycled (tonnes) 
			 2003-04 41.62 
			 2004-05 59.13 
			 2005-06 57.94 
			 2006-07 75.34 
			 2007-08 42.90 
		
	
	The only type of waste recycled by the SFO for the financial years 2003-04 to 2006-07 was paper. In May 2007, the SFO began the collection and recycling of cardboard, plastic, aluminium and glass. The figure of 42.90 tonnes for the financial year 2007-08 includes these types of waste.
	The total volume of waste produced by the SFO in the financial year 2007-08 was estimated at 70.99 tonnes. The proportion of waste recycled by volume is therefore 60.43 per cent. This far exceeds the sustainable operations target of 40 per cent., set in June 2006.
	The SFO does not have accurate data for the total waste produced for the financial years 2003-04 to 2006-07, so it is not possible to calculate the proportion of waste recycled by volume for these years.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliament: Heating

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many complaints have been made about heating facilities in the offices of hon. Members and staff in  (a) 1 Parliament Street,  (b) Norman Shaw North,  (c) Norman Shaw South,  (d) the Palace of Westminster,  (e) 7 Millbank and  (f) Portcullis House in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Nick Harvey: The number of requests for maintenance to heating and air conditioning in each of the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  2006 
			  Building  Number requests 
			 1 Parliament Street 325 
			 Norman Shaw North 113 
			 Norman Shaw South 77 
			 Palace of Westminster 1243 
			 7 Millbank 147 
			 Portcullis House 198 
			 Total 2103 
		
	
	
		
			  2007 
			  Building  Number requests 
			 1 Parliament Street 322 
			 Norman Shaw North 179 
			 Norman Shaw South 207 
			 Palace of Westminster 1255 
			 7 Millbank 126 
			 Portcullis House 305 
			 Total 2394 
		
	
	
		
			  2008 
			  Building  Number requests 
			 1 Parliament Street 299 
			 Norman Shaw North 169 
			 Norman Shaw South 167 
			 Palace of Westminster 1277 
			 7 Millbank 89 
			 Portcullis House 265 
			 Total 2266 
		
	
	We do not record how many of these requests for maintenance were complaints.

Parliament: Repairs and Maintenance

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what programme of preventative maintenance has been established for 1 Parliament Street.

Nick Harvey: Since 1 Parliament Street was opened in 1991, planned preventative maintenance contracts (PPMCs) have been established for all major plant, equipment and systems to maintain the property. The largest PPMC covers the operation, repair, and planned preventative maintenance for all the major plant, equipment and systems, including catering equipment, and is inclusive of all minor day to day repairs found necessary to maintain the property.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

Public Sector: Pensions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 111-112WS, on guaranteed minimum pension contributions, what the timetable is for the National Audit Office review.

Alan Williams: The National Audit Office is currently developing terms of reference for its review of the causes of the incorrect pension payments. It plans to publish the findings of the review in the early summer.

WALES

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the  (a) original expected cost,  (b) original expected delivery date,  (c) actual cost incurred and  (d) actual delivery date was of each ICT project undertaken and completed by his Department in each year since its inception; who the contractors for each project were; what the (i) initial estimated and (ii) outturn payment to each contractor was; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office is provided with its IT services by the Ministry of Justice. Consequently, the Department does not directly undertake IT projects.

Departmental Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost of his Department's contracts with public relations consultancies was in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: Nil.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; how many such training sessions were held in 2008; and how many staff in his Department attended at least one such training course.

Paul Murphy: Nil.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the latest available figures on the number of antisocial behaviour orders issued in England and Wales relate to the period to December 2006; and when data on antisocial behaviour orders issued after that date will be published.

Alan Campbell: The data on antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) is based on information supplied to the Home Office by courts. This information is compiled by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for the Home Office.
	ASBO data undergo extensive checking and a rigorous quality assurance process to verify the accuracy and completeness of the data they contain. Since December 2006 ASBO data has been published together with data on all the antisocial behaviour tools and powers collected from Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) in an annual survey. The publication date of the ASBO data is determined by the complexity of this exercise and timing it to coincide with the CDRP survey.
	Data for 2007 are expected to be available shortly.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued to men aged 18 to 25 years in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The latest available information on the number of ASBOs issued goes up to 31 December 2006. ASBO data is broken down by age group 10 to 17 and adults aged 18 and over, and by gender. The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  N umber of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued to males aged 18 and over, at all courts in England and Wales in each year, 2002-06 
			   Issued 
			 2002 127 
			 2003 574 
			 2004 1,751 
			 2005 2,078 
			 2006 1,371 
			  Notes: 1. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 2. Prepared by OCJR Evidence & Analysis Unit.  Source: As reported to the Home Office by the Court Service.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Hillingdon

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) issued and  (b) breached in (i) Uxbridge constituency and (ii) the London borough of Hillingdon since 1 January 2005.

Alan Campbell: Centrally collected data on the numbers of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued and breached are not compiled below criminal justice system area level.

Arrests: Disclosure of Information

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what procedures are in place to ensure that police officers receive sufficient information from regulatory authorities to allow officers to judge whether an arrest is necessary for an alleged regulatory offence;
	(2)  what procedures are in place to ensure full disclosure of information by regulatory authorities to the police when they ask the police to arrest an individual.

Vernon Coaker: Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 a police officer may only arrest a person if they suspect their involvement or attempted involvement in the commission of a criminal offence and the officer reasonably believes that arrest is necessary against the criteria defined in section 24 of the Act and the 'Code of Practice for the Statutory Power of Arrest by Police Officers' (PACE Code G).
	A decision to arrest a person under PACE is at the operational discretion of the individual officer concerned. The disclosure of information provided by regulatory authorities to the police is an operational matter for the individual authority and the police.

Asylum: Appeals

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against decisions not to grant asylum have been upheld in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Information on the number of asylum appeals upheld is published quarterly and annually. Copies of asylum statistics publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	The most recent publication available is Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom - Third Quarter 2008.

Asylum: Appeals

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what access asylum seekers who are appealing against the decision not to grant them asylum have to  (a) legal,  (b) medical and  (c) housing services; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: A person who is appealing against the Secretary of State's decision not to grant them asylum is entitled to legal aid provided they satisfy the means test and can also show that the merits of their case justify public funding. The tests are set out in the Legal Services Commission's Funding Code.
	A person who is appealing against the Secretary of State's decision not to grant asylum is eligible for NHS medical treatment.
	The UK Border Agency provides support to asylum seekers who need it to avoid destitution from the time they arrive in the UK until their claim is fully determined (appeal rights exhausted). Support includes the provision of housing, if required. A person who had submitted an appeal against the Secretary of State's decision not to grant asylum and who had qualified for accommodation support whilst their asylum claim was still under consideration would continue to receive that support while the appeal remained outstanding.

Asylum: Deportation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of failed asylum seekers were returned to their homeland in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of asylum cases, including dependants, who were removed, departed voluntarily or left under assisted returns from the United Kingdom to their country of nationality between January 2004 and September 2008, along with the percentage of total asylum cases removed, departed voluntarily or left under assisted returns from the United Kingdom to their country of nationality.
	The figures are rounded to the nearest five and data since 2007 are provisional.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	
		
			  Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns( 1)  of asylum cases( 2) , by destination, January 2004 to September 2008 
			  Number of removals( 3) 
			  Period  2004  2005  2006  2007( 4)  Jan-Sep 2008( 4) 
			 Total asylum cases removed 14,915 15,685 18,280 13,705 9,070 
			  O f which:  
			 Removed to country of nationality 11,380 12,175 14,545 11,235 7,250 
			 as percentage of total asylum cases removed 76 78 80 82 80 
			 (1) Includes enforced removals, port asylum removals which have been performed by enforcement officers using port powers of removal (and a small number of cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls), persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration and since January 2005 persons who it has been established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, including dependants. (3) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 (- = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (4) Provisional figures.

Asylum: Eritrea

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Eritrean asylum-seekers have returned voluntarily to Eritrea in the last year; how many have been granted asylum in the last five years; what plans she has to enforce the return of those who are not granted asylum; and how many are in receipt of section 4 support.

Phil Woolas: There is no policy precluding the return of unsuccessful asylum seekers to Eritrea. Each case is considered on its individual merits against the background of the latest available country information and relevant case law. Individuals found not to be in need of international protection by the asylum decision making process and the independent appeals process are expected to leave the UK voluntarily. If they do not leave voluntarily they may have their return enforced.
	For the period January to September 2008 there were five assisted voluntary returns to Eritrea from the UK. Additionally, for the same period, there were 260 enforced removals of Eritreans including further voluntary departures after enforcement action had been initiated. All removals statistics are for principal applicants only, excluding any dependants who were also removed. Figures relating to the period October to December 2008 will not be available until 24 February 2009.
	Information concerning grants of asylum to Eritrean nationals from 1998-2007 is published in table 3.1 (cases granted asylum) of Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007 (bulletin 11/08). Quarterly data for the period January to September 2008 have also been published. This is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	As at 11 January 2009, there were 902 Eritreans receiving section 4 support. This figure is taken from management information, which is provisional and subject to change.

Asylum: Malawi

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to monitor the welfare of asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK using Malawian passports but who claim to be Zimbabweans after they have been returned to Malawi.

Phil Woolas: Unsuccessful asylum claimants are returned to Malawi only if they are entitled to reside there, and only when the decision making and independent appeals system have found that this would be consistent with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. Among many other factors, decision makers and the courts take full account of any risk that the claimant would be removed from Malawi to a country where they could be at risk.
	The UK Border Agency does not routinely monitor the treatment of individual unsuccessful asylum claimants on return to their country of origin. They are, by definition, foreign nationals who have been found as a matter of law not to need the UK's protection and it would be inconsistent with that finding for the UK to assume an ongoing responsibility for them when they return to their own country.
	The UK Border Agency does constantly strive to obtain the best information to inform the asylum decision making process. It works closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including the British embassy in Harare and the British high commission in Lilongwe, who will pass to the UK Border Agency any relevant information they receive regarding the treatment of unsuccessful asylum seekers returned from the UK.

Asylum: Malawi

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what co-operation her Department receives from the Malawian High Commission and the Malawian Ministry of Home Affairs in connection with establishing the entitlement to Malawian citizenship of asylum seekers who arrive in the UK using Malawian passports but claiming to be Zimbabweans.

Phil Woolas: Information received from asylum seekers for their asylum claim is treated in confidence and the details of their asylum claims are not disclosed to the authorities of the country or countries they fear being returned to. The nationality or entitlement of an applicant to reside in a country is determined by looking at and weighing up all of the available documentary and oral evidence. Where a person holds a genuine Malawian passport or other identity document issued by the Malawian authorities, this would normally be enough to show that the holder is entitled to reside in Malawi.
	Where claims are unsuccessful, limited disclosure of information may be made to foreign authorities, including the Malawian authorities where we are returning an individual to Malawi, if it is necessary for travel documentation purposes.
	No reference is made to the fact the individual has claimed asylum in the UK.

Asylum: Malawi

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what co-operation her Department receives from the Malawian High Commission and the Malawian Ministry of Home Affairs in confirming as genuine the Malawian passports of asylum seekers who arrive in the UK using Malawian passports but who claim asylum as Zimbabweans.

Phil Woolas: Information received from asylum seekers for their asylum claim is treated in confidence and the details of their asylum claims are not disclosed to the authorities of the country or countries they fear being returned to. The nationality or entitlement of an applicant to reside in a country is determined by looking at and weighing up all of the available documentary and oral evidence. Where a person holds a genuine Malawian passport or other identity document issued by the Malawian authorities, this would normally be enough to show that the holder is entitled to reside in Malawi.
	Where claims are unsuccessful, limited disclosure of information may be made to foreign authorities, including the Malawian authorities where we are returning an individual to Malawi, if it is necessary for travel documentation purposes.
	No reference is made to the fact the individual has claimed asylum in the UK.

Asylum: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers resident in Peterborough constituency were in receipt of section 4 support as at 1 November 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are supported under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Unsuccessful asylum seekers may be eligible for support under section 4 of the 1999 Act if they are destitute and there is a temporary barrier to leaving the UK. On 9 November 2008, the nearest date for which figures are available, there were 22 people, excluding dependants, in receipt of section 4 support in the Peterborough constituency.
	The figure provided is management information, not national statistics, which is provisional and subject to change.

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made on the e-Borders programme; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Since contract award in November 2007, the legislation which requires carriers to provide e-Borders with the required data has been put in place.
	Significant progress has been made in taking forward the design and delivery of the e-Borders solution, the first phase of which is currently being tested. In addition to this, a site in the North-West has been secured for the new operational base, the National Border Targeting Centre.
	Since Project Semaphore, the operational prototype to test the e-Borders concept was trialled in 2005; over 79 million passenger movements have been monitored.

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions her Department has had with the Department for Transport on the role of registered traveller programmes in enhancing airline security and contributing to the e-borders programme.

Phil Woolas: Ministers and officials from the Home Office and the Department for Transport have had several discussions concerning the use of "registered traveller" and automated border controls and the contribution they can make to border and passenger security. Both Departments are committed to working together, with airport operators, to introduce new technology to ensure that travel to and from the UK, and the crossing of the border, is quick and safe for all passengers.
	There are currently two automated border control systems in operation: The Iris Recognition Immigration System (IRIS) and the Automated Clearance Service (ACS).
	IRIS is a pre-enrolment scheme for frequent travellers and is in operation at 10 major airports around the UK. ACS is a scheme for UK and European e-passport holders, currently in trial at Manchester and Stansted airports only. It does not require pre-enrolment—passengers simply present their e-Passport as evidence of identity and entitlement to entry. The aim of both schemes is to help low-risk passengers cross the UK Border more quickly. While they are not a formal component of aviation or maritime security policy, both schemes ensure that only passengers who are entitled to cross our border are able to do so.
	In the future, ACS deployment will be fully integrated with the e-Borders system.

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with  (a) airline operators,  (b) airport operators and  (c) the Department for Transport on the introduction of authority to carry; and when she expects these discussions to be completed.

Phil Woolas: The e-Borders programme officials meet regularly with concerned partners. I have recently met with members of the British Air Transport Association, including representatives from British Airways, Virgin and bmi.
	Discussions continue to take place with carrier and port representatives both on an individual level and at regular working groups. In addition the e-Borders programme is represented at the 'Facilitation Stakeholders Forum', organised by the Department for Transport. These meetings provide an opportunity for all e-Borders issues to be discussed, including the Authority to Carry scheme.
	The introduction of an Authority to Carry Scheme will only be brought forward for parliamentary approval, once the full 12 week consultation period with all stakeholders has taken place.

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average annual cost of applying checks to each individual passenger movement under the e-Borders programme.

Phil Woolas: The total gross cost of the e-Borders programme will be £1.4 billion over 10 years from 2007.
	The gross cost to Government is £1.2 billion over that period. The global figure for carriers is £242 million over the same 10-year period, which includes the set-up and running costs.
	The average cost per passenger movement was estimated at 14p when the regulatory impact assessment was prepared in 2006, however we expect this figure to drop considerably and the average to go down as carriers modernise their systems.

Borders: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made in discussions with the European Commission on the EU's passenger name record proposals; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: In November 2007 the European Commission published draft legislation on the use of EU passenger name records (PNR) for law enforcement purposes. The UK Government believes that the EU PNR proposal presents an important opportunity to share data in the fight against terrorism and organised crime, and facilitate legitimate travel to the UK.
	Significant progress was made on the EU PNR dossier during the French presidency, especially in increasing technical expertise on the draft instrument. Furthermore, the dossier was raised in the July, October and November Justice and Home Affairs Councils. The UK's objective is for the instrument to be compatible with UK domestic initiatives, specifically e-Borders. We are seeking a flexible EU instrument allowing member states to address the different threats they face whilst minimising the burdens on industry. Negotiations will continue during the Czech presidency.

British Nationality

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many exemptions from the requirement for applicants for British citizenship to attend a citizenship ceremony have been granted on the grounds of ill health.

Phil Woolas: Section 42 of the British Nationality Act 1981 (the Act) sets down the requirement that persons of full age (being 18 years) should not be registered or naturalised as a British citizen or British overseas territories citizen unless they have made the relevant citizenship oath and pledge at a citizenship ceremony.
	Discretion may be exercised under section 42(6) of the Act to disapply the requirement to attend a citizenship ceremony in the special circumstances of a particular case.
	The following table provides a breakdown of figures since commencement of this requirement in 2004 of those who have not attended a citizenship ceremony.
	Children are exempted in law from the requirement to attend a citizenship ceremony and this is also represented in the table.
	In total, 465,595 persons of full age, who were therefore required to attend a citizenship ceremony, were registered or naturalised as a British citizen between 2004 and 2007. A total of 650, equating to 0.14 per cent. of this total were exempted from the requirement to attend a citizenship ceremony as a result of the exercise of discretion by the Secretary of State during this period. Final figures for 2008 are not yet available.
	Exemptions are only granted in exceptional circumstances; for example, when a requirement to attend a ceremony would have national security implications or when an applicant cannot attend due to chronic illness or disability. Further breakdown of the figures to distinguish between exemptions on the grounds of national security and chronic illness or disability would require examination of individual files at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Nationality grants and exemptions from ceremonies, excluding ceremony attended 
			Ceremony overseas (exemption)  Grant  Total grants over 18 (excluding minors) 
			  Outcome year  Total not attended a ceremony  Over 18  Under 18  Over 18  Under 18  Over 18  Percentage not attended 
			 Total 138,930 300 5 350 138,280 465,595 0.14 
			 2004 15,540 (1)— — 55 15,480 109,860 0.05 
			 2005 40,760 25 — 130 40,605 120,060 0.13 
			 2006 42,410 205 (1)— 100 42,105 111,575 0.27 
			 2007 40,220 65 — 65 40,090 124,100 0.10 
			 (1) Negligible i.e. two or less.  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. 2. Ceremonies were introduced on 1 January 2004, therefore only application dates post 1 January 2004.  Source: Local Management Information.

Christmas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on  (a) Christmas parties and  (b) staff entertainment in each year between 1993 and 1996.

Phil Woolas: I am afraid the Department's accounting system does not hold information for the financial years 1993-96.

Crimes of Violence: Research

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has undertaken on trends in the level of violence towards street-based sex workers.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has commissioned a number of research studies which have considered issues relating to the risk of violence towards those involved in street prostitution. These studies include; For Love or Money: Pimps and the Management of Sex Work (May, T, Harcopops, A, Hough M (2000)); Vulnerability and involvement in drug use and sex work Cusick, L, Martin, A, May, T (2003) and Tackling Street Prostitution: Towards an holistic approach (Hester, M and Westmarland, N (2004)).
	In addition to this work the Government's "Paying the Price": a consultation paper on prostitution and A Co-ordinated Prostitution Strategy took account of a range of independent research relating to the levels of violence towards those involved in street prostitution. A review of the existing literature on tackling the demand for prostitution and a study of prostitution in nine different countries was also commissioned, last year, to inform the development of policy.

Departmental Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much air mileage incurred through departmental and associated agency travel was offset in 2007-08, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul travel.

Phil Woolas: The following table provides a breakdown for how much  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul air mileage incurred by the Department and associated agencies through 2007-08 was offset:
	
		
			   Miles 
			 Domestic air travel 3,115,863 
			 Short-haul air travel 1,626,114 
			 Long-haul air travel 3,980,766 
		
	
	The data cover some business areas that are now part of Ministry of Justice.
	The Home Office participates in the Government carbon offsetting fund which is co-ordinated by DEFRA. This ensures the Department offsets carbon dioxide emissions from its official air travel.
	All official travel is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the civil service management code.

Departmental Buildings

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in the last five years; how much has been spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.

Phil Woolas: As records are not held in the breakdown requested the following table gives the total cumulative figure across all three categories requested drawn from available financial records for the last four years.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2004-05 18,142,000 
			 2005-06 21,461,000 
			 2006-07 19,324,000 
			 2007-08 13,610,000 
		
	
	The aforementioned figures in this table do not include maintenance costs within outsourcing contracts including PFIs. There is no record of any expenditure on wallpaper. Figures for 2003-04 are held in historic format and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Plans for spending in 2009-10 and future financial years which may include decoration works are not yet finalised.

Departmental Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 281W, on departmental consultants, how many passes were issued in the most recent month for which records are available.

Phil Woolas: For the period 1-31 December 2008, where records are available, 22 passes were issued to consultants working in the Home Office HQ.

Departmental Data Protection

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department and its agencies are authorised to access electronic files and databases relating to an individual's  (a) immigration status,  (b) asylum application and  (c) passport application; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 December 2008
	The information requested is not held centrally. As such, it is not possible to answer the PQ within the time and cost limits of the PQ process.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many freedom of information requests have been received by her Department in 2008 to date; and how many have been  (a) granted and  (b) rejected.

Meg Hillier: The Department received 1,489 requests between January and September 2008. Where a response has been provided, information was held in 627 of cases. Responses to 414 requests resulted in information being disclosed in full, 103 requests resulted in partial disclosure, and 110 requests resulted in information being withheld. A request was also refused on 323 occasions where the department did not hold the information, on six occasions where the request was considered vexatious and seven as they were considered to be repeat requests. A response was refused on 191 occasions where it was estimated that the cost limit would be exceeded, and advice and assistance was provided in response to 164 requests.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 4 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 336-37W, on Government Departments: information and communications technology, which IP addresses are used by  (a) her Department and  (b) computers in the offices of its (i) Ministers, (ii) communications officials and (iii) special advisers.

Phil Woolas: To help defend against electronic attack, it is standard good information security practice for corporate IT systems, not to publish internal IP addresses.

Departmental Security

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) security passes and  (b) identity cards of her Department and its agencies were reported (i) lost and (ii) stolen in the calendar year 2008.

Phil Woolas: The number of Home Office security passes and identity cards reported lost or stolen (broken down where known) in the calendar year 2008 is as follows: 246 security passes were lost and 30 stolen; 15 identity cards have been reported lost and six stolen (warrant cards are included in this figure as for some business areas they are the same document).

Departmental Telephone Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many telephone numbers for which callers are charged at the rate applicable to 0845 numbers are used by  (a) her Department and  (b) its executive agencies for public access to services.

Phil Woolas: There are currently 11 0845 numbers being used by the Home Office and its agencies. The following table outlines these numbers and their purpose.
	
		
			  Number  Purpose  Type 
			 0845 121 0046 Passport Office Authentication by Interview (ABI) Booking Line Phone 
			 0845 603 7788 Family Records Centre (Office of National Statistics) General Register Office Certificate Services Phone 
			 0845 010 6677 UKBA Employers' Helpline Phone 
			 0845 601 2298 UKBA Evidence and Enquiry line Phone 
			 0845 602 1739 UKBA Enquiries about asylum support applications Phone 
			 0845 010 5200 UKBA Nationality telephone enquiries Phone 
			 0845 600 0914 UKBA Asylum Support Customer Contact Centre Phone 
			 0845 601 1145 UKBA National Asylum Support FAX Line Fax 
			 0845 601 1143 UKBA National Asylum Support FAX Line Fax 
			 0845 600 0877 UKBA Asylum and Immigration Tribunal Phone 
			 0845 600 0914 UKBA Voucher and discontinuation helpline Phone

Deportation: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents of Peterborough constituency are appealing against decisions not to grant them indefinite leave to remain; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 January 2009
	Information on the number of residents in the constituency of Peterborough who are appealing against decisions not to grant them indefinite leave to remain is not available.

Deportation: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009 to question 246149, in what format and at what location, information on individuals awaiting determination in respect of applications for indefinite leave to remain in Peterborough is held; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 January 2009
	When an application for indefinite leave to remain is received into UK Border Agency, both a paper file and an electronic record are raised at the same time.
	Our electronic database is called the case information database (CID) and management information is extracted using fixed datasets at any given point in time.

Deportation: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009 to question 246149, what her estimate is of the cost of ascertaining how many individuals in Peterborough have been awaiting determination of their applications for indefinite leave to remain since May 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 January 2009
	Producing retrospective management information reports on previous outstanding work in progress is not possible, as the data will have changed as cases are received and cleared. In order to provide this information each individual record would have to be manually identified and analysed before producing a summary report at a disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Religious Hatred

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the repatriation to their country of origin of non-UK nationals who fear persecution on religious grounds following their return.

Phil Woolas: The United Kingdom is a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees ("Refugee Convention"). Each claim for asylum is considered on its individual merits by specially trained caseworkers to determine whether the applicant has demonstrated a well-founded fear of persecution in his or her country of nationality or habitual residence for one of the reasons set out in the Refugee Convention. These are reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
	The UK is also a signatory to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, commonly referred to as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This precludes the UK from removing certain people to another country, where for example, removing them would expose them to a real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
	Applicants who engage our protection obligations are granted leave to remain in the UK. Individuals whom the asylum decision-making process, and the independent appeal process where a suspensive appeal right exists, have found not to need international protection and who do not have the right to remain in the United Kingdom are expected to leave the UK voluntarily. If they fail to do so, the UK Border Agency will seek to enforce their return where it is satisfied that it is safe to do so.
	The UK Border Agency may return an asylum seeker to a country other than their country of origin where the provisions of the Dublin Convention apply. In addition, the United Kingdom is signatory to a number of bilateral and European Community Readmission Agreements. In certain circumstances these agreements can be utilised to affect the removal of an illegal migrant to a signatory state that a person can be proven to have transited directly en route to the UK, rather than their country of origin. The United Kingdom would, however, be obliged to consider any claim for international protection under the Refugee Convention before that person could be removed to the transit country, except in cases where they qualified to be removed under the Dublin Convention.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reservations her Department is seeking in relation to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office will lodge a reservation to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to protect the primacy of domestic immigration legislation and enable differential treatment on health grounds and related issues. The reservation is necessary primarily to protect public health. Immigration functions are and will remain subject to domestic legislation in regard to disability discrimination, and the reservation will have no effect on existing provisions.

Driving Under Influence

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of drivers who were breath-tested failed the test during January in each year since 2004.

Alan Campbell: The information requested on breath tests and the number and percentage positive/refused covering 2004 to 2006 (latest available) is provided in the following table.
	Data for 2007 are due to be published in April 2009.
	
		
			  Screening breath tests and number and percentage positive or refused in January of each year, England and Wales 2004-06( 1) 
			   Total tests  Positive/refused  Percentage positive/refused 
			 2004 46,256 8,405 18 
			 2005 48,442 8,404 17 
			 2006 50,165 8,788 18 
			 (1) Following a comparison between the number of positive breath tests reported by each police force in 2006 and the number of court proceedings for drink/driving related offences, it became clear that there was under-reporting in a number of forces. As a result Essex, Humberside, Lancashire, Norfolk, Northumbria, Staffordshire, Dyfed-Powys, Gwent and South Wales court proceedings figures have been substituted for the positive breath test figures. Similar adjustments were also made to various forces data between 1998 and 2005.

Drugs: Crime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted for  (a) possession of and  (b) dealing in ecstasy in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts for the possession of and dealing in Ecstasy in England and Wales from 1998 to 2007 (latest available) are given in the following table.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for the possession of and dealing in Ecstasy( 1) , England and Wales, 1998 to 2007( 2,)( )( 3) 
			  Offence  1998  1999  2000  2001 ( 4) 2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Possession 810 1,369 2,064 2,626 2,277 2,156 1,921 1,765 1,618 1,693 
			 Possession with intent to supply 410 693 1,081 1,352 1,064 947 726 649 582 592 
			 Supply 308 408 545 528 399 306 261 245 207 217 
			 (1) Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA is most commonly known as Ecstasy. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Entry Clearances: China

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applicants from mainland China have had their applications refused in each of the last three years; of those how many have appealed; how many such appeals have succeeded; and how many decisions have been withdrawn prior to determination of the appeal.

Phil Woolas: The following provides requested statistics received in mainland China at our embassy in Beijing and the Consulate-Generals in Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou. The number of appeals received in each year does not directly correspond to the number of determinations received as the appeal process takes time and results are received in subsequent years.
	The number of determinations received and the results of those determinations are included to give a more accurate representation of decisions on appealed cases.
	
		
			  UK Border Agency—Determinations and appeals from Mainland China 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			 Total applications refused 1,0969 1,4234 1,8091 
			 Applications with right of appeal 5350 7275 1,1200 
			 Number of appeals received 1,318 1,090 2,270 
			 Appealed applications withdrawn prior to determination 395 250 389 
			 Determination received: successful appeals 614 300 370 
			 Determination received: dismissed appeals 477 469 571 
			 Total determinations received (successful + dismissed) 1,091 769 941

European Convention on Cybercrime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the UK to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.

Alan Campbell: The Government are currently following the process for ratification of treaties and we believe that the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime will be completed by April 2009.

Extradition: USA

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited to the United States since 2003; and for what alleged offences they have been extradited.

Meg Hillier: 63 persons have been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States since 2003.
	The offences for which those persons were sought are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Drugs 20 
			 Fraud 18 
			 Sexual offences 6 
			 Murder 4 
			 Theft 3 
			 Money laundering 3 
			 Child pornography 2 
			 Satellite signal theft 2 
			 Child abduction 1 
			 Grievous bodily harm 1 
			 Terrorism 1 
			 Forgery 1 
			 Obtaining property by deception 1

Fishburn Hedges

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure her Department and its agencies has incurred in hiring Fishburn Hedges in the last 36 months; and for what purposes.

Phil Woolas: The Department made no payments to Fishburn Hedges during the financial years 2005-06, 2007-08 and 2008-09; for 2006-07 the Department made six payments totalling £149,620.
	The payments related to the publicity of Home Office activities, including the promotion of the Tackling Drugs Changing Lives strategy; and delivery of an internal communications programme in the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
	For the Department's agencies, Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau have not made any payments.

Identity Cards: Contracts

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 10 December 2008,  Official Report, column 196W, on public sector: contracts, whether general break clauses have been included in the contracts for  (a) national identity cards and  (b) the National Identity Register.

Meg Hillier: Contracts being procured for the national identity scheme contain provisions for termination. These contracts cover replacement of and enhancements to existing Passport and UK Border Agency capabilities, as well as to support identity cards in the future. Termination provisions are based on Office of Government Commerce guidance for IT contracts and include terms for ending a contract in the case of poor performance or where a decision is made to terminate early (for 'convenience').

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1976W, if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member.

Phil Woolas: I can confirm that a copy of the letter dated 14 January 2009 to the hon. Member for Hertsmere has been placed in the Library of the House.

Immigration

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government have taken to reduce illegal immigration.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 22 January 2009
	We are delivering the biggest shake-up of Britain's border security and immigration system in a generation.
	Last year we launched the UK Border Agency. With a combined budget of £2 billion, a staffing complement of 25,000 and a presence in 135 countries world-wide, Britain's border security is now among the toughest in the world.
	Since the launch of the UKBA our officers have seized over 800 million cigarettes, representing a potential loss of over £149 million in tax revenue, £260 million worth of illegal drugs and have taken 4,800 dangerous weapons, including firearms, stun guns and hundreds of knives, off the streets. For the same period, over 809,000 freight vehicles have been searched at our juxtaposed controls and we stopped over 21,000 attempts to cross the Channel illegally.
	The new points based system and the continuing ban on non-EU low skilled migrants we are controlling migration to ensure that only those the UK needs can come to work and study. This allows us to attract and keep people with the skills our economy needs; maximizing the benefits to Britain.
	Anyone applying for a visa—three quarters of the world's population—now has their fingerprints checked against UK databases. So far we have enrolled over 3.6 million sets of fingerprints detecting over 5,200 identity swaps.
	Airline Liaison Officers have assisted in preventing nearly 210,000 people from boarding planes over the last five years. That is equivalent to about two jumbo jets a week.
	We have also introduced ID cards for foreign nationals and a hi-tech electronic borders system, the e-Borders Programme, which will be fully rolled out by March 2014 and will enable us to count people in and out of Britain. The pilot scheme for the Government's electronic borders system has already checked over 75 million passenger journeys before arrival in the UK, leading to over 2,700 arrests.

Immigration Controls

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government-authorised exchange schemes for nationals of non-EEA countries under tier 5 of the points-based immigration system are in operation; and what plans she has for the future of such schemes.

Phil Woolas: The organisations that have registered under the Tier 5: Government Authorised Exchange category are as follows:
	British Council (IAESTE Programme);
	British Council Northern Ireland;
	IEPUK Ltd.; and
	The University of Sheffield.
	There are no current plans to amend the policy framework for Tier 5: Government Authorised Exchange, however, the points-based system will be subject to a post-implementation review that will assess the success of the system as a whole. This will include an assessment of Tier 5: Government Authorised Exchange.

Members: Correspondence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 2257-58W, on genetics: databases, when she plans to write to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield.

Alan Campbell: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary wrote to the hon. Member on 19 January 2009.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 8 December 2008 from the hon. Member for Walsall North on a constituent, reference M4848/7.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 January 2009
	The UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 16 January 2009.

Olympic Games 2012: Security

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date she signed off the costed security plan for the 2012 Olympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: A draft costed security plan was delivered to Home Office Ministers in November 2008 and made available to Ministers across Government and the London Mayor. Following consultation with other Government Departments, the Greater London authority, the police, the Olympic delivery authority and the London organising committee for the Olympic games, it was agreed that the costed security plan would be augmented with an integrated Olympic safety and security strategy and associated concept of operations. This suite of documents will be presented to the Cabinet sub-committee on National Security, International Relations and Development (Protective Security and Resilience), which is chaired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on 25 February 2009.

Passports

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce waiting times for the issue of new passports.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 22 January 2009
	The current waiting times for passports are reasonable and realistic and there are no plans to reduce the published turnaround times further.
	The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has undertaken to deliver 99.5 per cent. of straightforward online, partner and postal adult renewal and first-time child applications within 10 working days and to see 95 per cent. of callers to their public counters and interview offices within 20 minutes of their appointment time.
	The Tiered Application System (TAS) guarantees to turnaround premium counter applications within four hours and fast-track counter applications within one week.
	Latest available figures show that IPS has consistently met and often exceeded these targets, which are constantly monitored.

Passports: Fraud

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people granted a passport were subsequently found to have made their application fraudulently in each year since 2003.

Meg Hillier: Information on the number of fraudulently obtained passports for each of the years since 2003 is not available as the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) does not routinely collate information on the year of issue of passports found later to have been issued as result of fraudulent applications. Furthermore, IPS is not always informed when fraudulent passports are identified, seized and taken out of circulation by other agencies in the UK and abroad.

Passports: Lost Property

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were reported lost or stolen in the last 12 months; and how many valid passports there were in that period.

Meg Hillier: In 2008, the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) processed 296,018 reports of lost and stolen passports. There were 249,261 reports of lost passports, 38,120 stolen with the balance of 8,637 in the 'other' category. 'Other' includes passports reported as damaged or destroyed.
	The latest estimate of the number of passports issued by IPS and currently valid is 47,282,000 (an exact figure cannot be given because lost and stolen passports may not be replaced immediately).

Passports: Photographs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many passport applications were rejected in each of the last five years because the frames of glasses worn by the applicant covered their eyes in the accompanying photograph;
	(2)  how many passport applications were rejected in each of the last five years because of reflection or glare in glasses worn by the applicant in the accompanying photograph.

Meg Hillier: If the photograph sent with a passport application does not meet the requirements of the standards agreed through the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the applicant is asked to send new photographs but because of the way in which data on this is stored it is not possible to provide an annual breakdown of reasons for rejection without incurring disproportionate cost. A check of manual records in July 2007 showed that in 17.5 per cent. of applications in which photographs were rejected, the reason was that the eyes were obscured for various reasons, including wearing glasses and glare.
	During 2008-09 the Identity and Passport Office have worked with customers and the photo industry to reduce rejection rates which currently are 3.8 per cent. of all applications containing photographs do not meet the standards, again these include wearing glasses and glare. It is necessary for the eyes to be visible in passport photographs in order for facial recognition technology to work. The Identity and Passport Service therefore advises applicants to remove spectacles so that there will be no risk of the eyes being obscured by the frames or reflections on the lenses.

Police National Computer

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many records were held on the police national computer in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Vernon Coaker: The number of records held on the police national computer (PNC) in each of the last five years is not held centrally. As an operational tool, the PNC always reflects the current situation and it is not possible to produce figures for a specific historical date unless they were obtained on that date.
	The PNC contains records from a number of separate information databases. The following table shows the number of records held on the PNC, broken down by the various information databases as at 13 November 2008, the latest date for which figures are available. These figures are not mutually exclusive; for example, the same record may be included in more than one database.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Vehicles 58,161,658 
			 Names 9,172,689 
			 Drivers Licenses 51,901,851 
			 Property 97,978 
			 Crimelink 621 
			 National Firearms Certificate Holders Register (NFCHR) 1,390,920

Police Stations: Health Services

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations have fully-qualified medical staff on duty at all times.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not held centrally. The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and chief constable, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

Police: Administration

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average proportion of police time spent on clerical or paper work in England.

Vernon Coaker: In 2007-08 21.6 per cent. of police officer time was spent on paper work in police forces in England. This excludes data from Staffordshire, which are unavailable, and relates to foot/car/beat patrol, CID and traffic officers.

Police: Security

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current procedures for assessing the risks to the personal safety of senior police officers; and what arrangements are in place for review of such procedures.

Vernon Coaker: Risk assessment processes are based on individual forces' circumstances and any specific intelligence at that time.
	The responsibility for risk assessment lies with each chief police officer.

Police: Stop and Search

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average a police officer took to  (a) make an arrest,  (b) issue a caution and  (c) conduct a stop and search procedure in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: There are no centrally held data on the time taken to  (a) make an arrest,  (b) issue a caution and  (c) conduct a stop and search procedure in England. This will vary greatly depending on the circumstances of the case and the amount of investigation that precedes these procedures.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2479W, on the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre: Government Departments, what the purpose was of each of her Department's conferences organised by R Glasgow and Associates Public Relations Ltd and held in the Conference Centre.

Phil Woolas: Based on the information we hold centrally in the Home Office, between September 2007 and February 2008, we commissioned Glasgow's to support us with the event management of three Home Office events at the QEII Conference Centre. Two were leadership events for senior civil servants (half-day events for 150 delegates at each conference) and one was an AGM for the Network—a staff support group for BME staff—a full-day event for 400 staff.
	Glasgow's is on the Home Office list of agreed suppliers who have expertise in delivering events.

Registration of Births Deaths Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department provides to registrars on ensuring that lack of out-of-hours registrars' service does not prevent prompt burials or cremations required for religious purposes, particularly over periods of closure of services; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The Registrar General has issued guidance to registrars of births and deaths in England and Wales to comply with any reasonable request to deal with urgent registration business outside their advertised hours of attendance. If their office is to remain closed for two or more consecutive days, or if special facilities have to be provided in the area, they must exhibit a notice explaining what arrangements have been made to deal with any urgent matter which might arise. The law and administrative arrangements governing the registration of deaths in Scotland and Northern Ireland are different.
	More generally, in accordance with the national Good Practice Guide for the delivery of the registration service, local authorities are encouraged to consult on customer needs and provide an accessible registration service which takes into account the local community's needs and expectations.

Vetting: Fees and Charges

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1877W, on vetting: fees and charges, whether those people undertaking unpaid voluntary activity which requires them to be monitored are required to pay a registration fee to the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

Meg Hillier: Individuals in paid employment will pay a fee of £64 when applying for registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). This fee will not apply to those undertaking unpaid voluntary activity regulated by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Work Permits

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many skilled non-EU workers were given leave to remain under the work permit system in  (a) each year since 2005 and  (b) each of the last four quarters for which figures are available, broken down by occupation.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 19 January 2009
	 The following table provides information on the number of non-EU nationals who were granted extension of leave to remain as work permit holders for the period 1 January 2005-31 December 2007, including a quarterly breakdown for 2007. The information requested about occupation is not held in the format requested.
	
		
			  Non-EU nationals granted extension of leave to remain—work permit holders for the period 1 January 2005-31 December 2007 
			  Year and quarter  Number of cases 
			 2005 61,690 
			 2006 50,625 
			 2007 44,685 
			 2007 Q1 12,035 
			 2007 Q2 9,870 
			 2007 Q3 11,780 
			 2007 Q4 11,005 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. Because of rounding figures may not add up to totals shown. 3. The figures quoted for 2007 by quarter are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.  Caveats: The data presented excludes dependents of principal applicants, 'in-line' dependents, EU and Swiss nationals. The UK Border Agency is unable to comply with the request to provide data pertaining to occupation breakdown.  Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics

TRANSPORT

Humber Bridge

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the report of the public inquiry into the Humber Bridge tolls.

Paul Clark: The public inquiry will begin on 3 March 2009. Following the inquiry the inspector will submit a written report to the Secretary of State for Transport, for final decision.

Sleeper Rail Services

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for spending on sleeper services between London and Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have no plans for spending on Anglo-Scottish sleeper services. The specification and funding of ScotRail services, including its sleeper trains, is a matter for the Scottish Executive.

High Speed Rail Network

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the statement of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 356, on transport infrastructure, if he will bring forward proposals to connect Sheffield and other cities in Yorkshire and the East Midlands to a new high speed rail network.

Geoff Hoon: As I announced to the House on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 356, a new company, "High Speed Two", has been formed to develop the case for high speed services between London and Scotland.
	As a first stage, the company is expected to bring forward detailed proposals for Britain's second new high speed line, between London and the West Midlands, and to consider the potential for new lines to serve the North of England and Scotland.

Motorway Traffic Flow

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the police on improving traffic flow on motorways.

Paul Clark: Ministers have not had any recent discussions with the police in relation to improving traffic flow on motorways. However, the Highways Agency has regular liaison meetings with police forces and the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss matters relating to the strategic road network.

Taxi Drivers

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals on the maximum number of hours that can be worked by taxi drivers.

Paul Clark: We have no plans to introduce legislation regulating the hours which taxi drivers can work. We are, however, willing to consider carefully any new representations or evidence put to us on this issue.

Transport Infrastructure

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the construction of transport infrastructure to serve proposed residential and commercial developments.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport supports the Government's aims of increasing the supply of housing, and promoting national competitiveness and growth. Well-planned, sustainable infrastructure can play a key role in achieving these ambitions. Specific infrastructure development proposals should be consistent with local and regional strategies, and with national planning policy and guidance.

Heathrow

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect of a third runway at Heathrow on local levels of nitrogen oxides.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Our modelling shows that nitrogen oxides in the area are set to fall by 49 per cent. by 2030, compared to 2002, even with a fully utilised third runway; and that EU limits for nitrogen dioxide (the critical pollutant) will be met in 2020 even with a third runway operating at the level we have approved, namely 605,000 annual movements.
	The detailed figures can be found in the Heathrow consultation document and associated technical reports on the Department for Transport's website.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation target for 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government recently consulted on proposals for future obligation levels up to 2013-14 under the renewable transport fuel obligation. The consultation closed on 17 December and the Government are considering the responses received. An announcement on the outcome will be made shortly.

Commuting Times

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has commissioned or evaluated research on the effect of commuting times on levels of well-being.

Paul Clark: Yes. Research into people's willingness-to-pay for travel time savings suggests that, on average, commuters value travel time at a rate of £5.04 per hour. This value is ordinarily used to aid decision making on infrastructure investments because many of the benefits reflect reduced delays for commuters. However it also provides an indication of the importance that people place on the time taken to commute to work.

Rolling Stock Plan

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the timetable for his Department's rolling stock plan.

Paul Clark: 423 of the 1,300 additional vehicles announced in the rolling stock plan have already been ordered. The Government have recently announced the accelerated procurement of 200 diesel multiple unit vehicles to speed up the process further. It is currently in discussion with train operators on the deployment of additional vehicles announced in the plan. Announcements will be made only after deeds of amendment to train operators' franchise agreements have been concluded.

West Coast Main Line

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the reliability of services on the West Coast Main Line.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has received a small number of representations over changes to timetables introduced in December 2009. These have related almost entirely to minor aspects of the planned timetable, rather than the reliability of actual services.

East Anglia: Road Network

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet representatives of local authorities in East Anglia to discuss improvements to trunk roads in that area.

Paul Clark: We currently have no plans to meet local authorities in East Anglia to discuss trunk road improvements.

Southport-Manchester Line

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the additional trains announced in November 2008 will be available for the Northern franchise's Southport to Manchester line to replace class 142 railbus units.

Paul Clark: The additional trains are to provide extra capacity, rather than replace existing vehicles. The Government are in discussion with train operators on where best to deploy the vehicles to achieve the greatest benefit. Announcements will be made only after deeds of amendment to train operators' franchise agreements have been concluded.

Accessibility and Equalities Directorate

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the Accessibility and Equalities Directorate; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Permanent Secretary is responsible for the effective management of staff and resources to achieve all departmental goals, including the promotion of greater equality of opportunity for all citizens. Various options fort he management of the Department's business, within available budgets, are being considered as part of the current business planning round.

Allen Lane

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what functions the company Allen Lane carries out for his Department.

Geoff Hoon: The Department uses Allen Lane Ltd to provide temporary financial and accountancy staff.

Bus Services: Concessions

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with  (a) ministerial colleagues,  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government and  (c) the Scottish Executive on harmonisation of the concessionary bus pass schemes in England, Scotland and Wales.

Paul Clark: The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with ministerial colleagues, the Welsh Assembly Government or the Scottish Executive on the harmonisation of the concessionary bus pass schemes and nor have I. Discussions are taking place at official level with the devolved Administrations about how reciprocal arrangements for cross-border concessionary travel could work. However we have no immediate plans to introduce such an arrangement at this time.

Departmental Buildings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in the last five years; how much has been spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.

Geoff Hoon: The requested information, where recorded, has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's average response time to a letter received from  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public was in each of the last three years.

Geoff Hoon: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members' correspondence. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Information for 2008 is currently being collated and will be published as soon as it is ready. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	Information about average response times for replying to correspondence from members of the public cannot be provided within disproportionate costs limits, however, the Department for Transport aims to respond to all written correspondence within 20 working days.

Departmental Surveys

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department's central media and communication unit spent on public surveys in each of the last three years.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 599,867 
			 2006-07 1,155,007 
			 2007-08 1,043,916

Driving Under Influence: Death

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed in drink-driving related incidents in  (a) England and  (b) Leicester in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In England, it is estimated that 490 people were killed in 2006 in reported personal injury road accidents where one or more motor vehicle drivers or riders involved was over the legal alcohol limit.
	Estimates of the number of drink-drive accidents or casualties are not available below Government office region level.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many additional aircraft movements arising from the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport he expects there to be in each of the years from 2020 to 2030.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 26 January 2009
	 We have made clear that our support for a third runway is subject to an aggregate limit of 605,000 annual movements, to be reviewed in 2020. Any further increase in capacity would depend on the outcome of that review and planning requirements. The review would take into account developments such as the operation of the compliance mechanism for noise and air quality, progress with public transport access, the levels of resilience being achieved at the airport and advice from the Committee on Climate Change on progress towards meeting the UK's carbon reduction targets.

Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementing the proposals for hard shoulder running on the  (a) M1,  (b) M25,  (c) M6,  (d) M62,  (e) M3 and  (f) M4 on the Highways Agency's budget for the Programme of Major Schemes in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12, (iv) 2012-13 and (v) 2013-14;
	(2)  whether funds in excess of the proposed Highways Agency Programme of Major Schemes budget will be allocated to meet the cost of proposals for additional miles of motorway lanes.

Paul Clark: holding answer 26 January 2009
	On 15 January 2009 in "Britain's Transport Infrastructure: Motorways and Major Trunk Roads" we announced the Highways Agency's programme of national major schemes that we expect to enter construction by 2015, and that up to £6 billion had been allocated to fund this work.
	In developing this programme of schemes part of the assessment undertaken to determine the timing and priority of schemes related to affordability and deliverability within expected budgets. An element of over-programming has been included to allow for uncertainty over the individual delivery programmes for schemes at an early stage in their development and the scope for the Highways Agency to realise efficiencies through technology and procurement developments. Allowing for over-programming the programme and the funding envelope announced on 15 January are consistent.
	Budgets for the Highways Agency are set on an annual basis but they will be consistent with the overall figure given above.

Oxford-Cambridge Railway Line

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the merits of reopening the Oxford to Cambridge railway line; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The proposal to reopen the railway line between Oxford and Cambridge is being promoted, developed and assessed by a consortium of local authorities and regional bodies.
	The Department for Transport maintains dialogue with the consortium and is prepared to consider railway reopening proposals which meet wider objectives, represent value for money and for which funding can be identified.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government and  (b) HM Treasury on workplace parking charges in the last 12 months.

Paul Clark: Colleagues in other Departments, including Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury, were given the opportunity to comment on our proposals for regulations for workplace parking levy schemes, before we launched the consultation I announced on 11 December 2008.

Railways: Ashchurch

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make representations to Network Rail to reinstate the direct service from Ashchurch railway station to Birmingham New Street.

Paul Clark: Already, there are direct services from Ashchurch railway station to Birmingham New Street operated by Cross Country. Monday to Friday there are five services from Ashchurch to Birmingham New Street and three services in the opposite direction. Saturdays there are four services from Birmingham New Street and two in the opposite direction. There are no services on Sundays.

Railways: Bus Services

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on subsidising rail replacement bus services between Ealing Broadway station and Wandsworth Road station in the last five years;
	(2)  how many of the rail replacement bus services funded by his Department are not advertised to the public.

Paul Clark: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 10W.
	Mindful of the requirements of relevant legislation, the Department for Transport is currently funding a rail replacement bus service between Ealing Broadway station and Wandsworth Road station. This service, which is a temporary measure until the Department can arrange a replacement rail service in this area, has been operating since 14 December 2008 at a four-weekly cost of £1,880 to the Department for Transport.
	The Department intended the bus to be advertised from 14 December 2008. Following a contractual delay, the bus service has been advertised from the beginning of this week at the stations it is contracted to call at which are Ealing Broadway, Kensington Olympia and Wandsworth Road.

Railways: Bus Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost has been of so-called ghost buses for replacement rail transport in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: Rail replacement bus services have been operated as a temporary substitute for train services over sections of track between:
	(1) Ealing Broadway and Wandsworth Road on a weekly basis since 14 December 2008 at a four-weekly cost of £1,880.
	(2) Kensington Olympia and London Waterloo on a weekly basis between May and December 2004. The bus service was procured by the Strategic Rail Authority. The Department for Transport does not hold information on the cost of the bus service.
	Rail replacement bus services have also been operated as a temporary substitute to:
	(1) All train services to Barlaston, Wedgewood and Norton Bridge since May 2003.
	(2) All train services to Stone between May 2003 and 13 December 2008.
	(3) Some train services to Atherstone between May 2003 and 13 December 2008.
	(4) Most train services to Polesworth between May 2003 and 13 December 2008.
	The costs for these are not specifically identified as they are part of the overall subsidy payment for the London Midland franchise.

Railways: Bus Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail replacement bus services have operated in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold information on the number of rail replacement bus services operated because of engineering works.
	Additionally, rail replacement bus services have been operated as a temporary substitute to train services over sections of track between:
	(1) Ealing Broadway and Wandsworth Road on a weekly basis since 14 December 2008.
	(2) Kensington Olympia and London Waterloo on a weekly basis between May and December 2004.
	Rail replacement bus services have also been operated as a temporary substitute to:
	(1) All train services to Barlaston, Wedgewood and Norton Bridge since May 2003.
	(2) All train services to Stone between May 2003 and 13 December 2008.
	(3) Some train services to Atherstone between May 2003 and 13 December 2008.
	(4) Most train services to Polesworth between May 2003 and 13 December 2008.

Railways: Fares

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with train operating companies on recent increases in rail fares; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Ministers and officials meet regularly with train operating companies, and with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to discuss a range of issues relating to the railways, including fares.

Railways: Fares

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average rise in regulated rail fares from Chelmsford Station to London was in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold the information in the form requested.
	The Office of Rail Regulation publish data about the annual average increases in fares in National Rail Trends, which is available from their website at:
	www.rail.reg.gov.uk

Railways: Fares

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the effects on rail passengers of increases in regulated fares.

Paul Clark: The Secretary of State has not recently received any formal representations from any passenger representatives or user groups on this subject. There has been a nominal amount of individual correspondence, but only at volumes normally received just after the annual January increases.

Railways: Members

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on subsidising parliamentary trains within the meaning of the Railways Act 1844 in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Clark: No funds have been spent in the last 10 years. Section 6 of the Railway Regulation Act 1844 was repealed by the Cheap Trains Act 1883.

Road Traffic: Tyne and Wear

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been paid to local authorities in Tyne and Wear for pilot projects designed to tackle congestion under the Transport Innovation Fund; under what budgetary headings those payments were made; and whether a final report on the outcome of each such pilot has been submitted to his Department.

Paul Clark: Tyne and Wear authorities received a total of £1.7 million pump priming funding from the Department for Transport's Transport Innovation Fund. Payments were made under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. This funding was provided to assist in assessing the congestion problems and the role that demand management, including road pricing, alongside better public transport could play in tackling them and, if appropriate, to develop a TIF business case. We are awaiting the outcome of Tyne and Wear's work.

Roads: Accidents

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate his Department has made of the incidence of accidents on roads in the vicinity of schools where the speed limit is  (a) 20mph and  (b) 30mph.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Road Casualties Great Britain, published in September 2008, shows that there were 541 children aged 16 or under killed or seriously injured on journeys to or from school in 2007. This equates to one seventh of children aged 16 or under killed or seriously injured on our roads in 2007.
	These statistics do not, however, specify whether the incident took place in the vicinity of a school.

Roads: Death

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road fatalities were caused by drivers alleged to be over the legal blood alcohol limit during the period of the Government's Christmas and new year anti-drink-drive campaign in 2008-09.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available. Provisional estimates of drink drive accidents and casualties for 2008 will be published in August 2009. Final results will not be available until a year later due to coroners' data being available a year later than the main road collision data. Therefore final estimates can only be made eighteen months in arrears.

Roads: Salt

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has  (a) evaluated,  (b) commissioned and  (c) undertaken on an alternative to sodium chloride for managing the effects of ice on roads.

Paul Clark: Sodium chloride is a cost-effective treatment for the prevention of ice forming and treatment of snow and ice. The Highways Agency has considered other approaches used elsewhere in the world, but there is little evidence to suggest there are cost effective alternatives suitable for the UK that would warrant research.
	Alternatives, such as potassium acetate, are used on some major structures to reduce the potential for corrosion. However, such treatments are over 50 times more expensive than sodium chloride and so are not suitable network wide.
	Recognising that the use of salt has environmental implications the Highways Agency's research is focussing on reducing the amount of salt spread. Increasing use is being made of pre-wetted salt, which results in less loss of salt allowing spread rates to be reduced by up to 25 per cent.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to increase British military participation in restoring security within Kabul.

John Hutton: There are no plans to increase UK troop levels in Kabul. Security for Kabul remains the responsibility of Regional Command (Capital), which is currently led by French forces and supported by the Afghan National Security Forces.

Armed Forces: Deployment

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) establishment and  (b) strength is of each of the three battalions of the Parachute Regiment; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The current strength of 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment and 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment is 506 and 507 respectively. The establishment of both Regiments is 556. It is not our policy to release corresponding data for 1(st) Battalion the Parachute Regiment.
	These figures relate to Infantry soldiers at Regimental Duty and are the battalions' established strength rather than its deployable strength.

Armed Forces: Fire Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the provision of emergency fire cover by armed forces in the event of a  (a) local and  (b) national fire strike.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 1440-41W.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests for repair call-outs were received by Modern Housing Solutions in each of the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 26 January 2009
	The number of requests for repair call outs received by Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) is not separately identifiable, however, the number of repair jobs raised in 2008 was as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Number of repair jobs raised 
			 January 23,462 
			 February 18,548 
			 March 19,358 
			 April 18,359 
			 May 17,225 
			 June 16,823 
			 July 18,230 
			 August 17,657 
			 September 20,197 
			 October 21,225 
			 November 19,762 
			 December 17,628 
			 Total 228,474 
		
	
	MHS provides a comprehensive repair and maintenance service to occupants of Service Family Accommodation in England and Wales. Repair requests range from emergencies such as burst water pipes to routine tasks associated with the everyday wear and tear of domestic occupation. Figures also include work orders raised in relation to communal areas, children's playgrounds and other facilities managed by MHS.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1264W, on departmental housing, how many houses owned by his Department were rated as grade  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: Officials are working to identify what information can be provided. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Asbestos

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the most recent estimate is of the number of his Department's offices which contain asbestos.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence: Military Aircraft

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what stage negotiations on procurement contracts have reached in respect of the  (a) Airbus A400M military transport aircraft,  (b) future strategic air tanker,  (c) third tranche Eurofighter,  (d) joint strikefighter,  (e) defence training review,  (f) future aircraft carrier,  (g) Apache block three upgrade and  (h) Tornado capability upgrade strategy (pilot);
	(2)  what financial penalties for  (a) full cancellation and  (b) reduction in numbers ordered would fall to be paid by his Department to the prime contractor under the contract for (i) A400M, (ii) Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft, (iii) 3rd Tranche Eurofighter, (iv) Joint Strike Fighter, (v) Defence Training Review, (vi) CVF, (vii) Apache block 3 upgrade and (viii) Tornado Capability Upgrade Strategy (Pilot) project; and at what procurement stage they would fall to be paid in each case for each project.

Quentin Davies: Information regarding the current stage of negotiations for each of the projects listed is as follows:
	 (a) A400M
	A contract for the development and production of the A400M aircraft was signed with Airbus Military on 27 May 2003 by the Organisation for Joint Armaments Co-operation (OCCAR) on behalf of participating nations (Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Turkey and the UK). Airbus has recently proposed a new approach for the A400M programme. OCCAR and the Partner Nations are not in negotiation with Airbus in relation to the contract.
	 (b) Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (TSTA)
	Contract negotiations with AirTanker Ltd. were successfully concluded on 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 21WS, and the contract was formally signed in March 2008,  Official Report, column 31WS.
	 (c) Tranche 3 Eurofighter
	Negotiations with partner nations and industry are continuing.
	 (d) Joint Strike Fighter
	Negotiations for production contracts for JSF are conducted annually. UK participation in the forthcoming negotiations remains subject to formal departmental approval.
	 (e) Defence Training Review
	Package 1, which aims to deliver technical training, is currently near the end of the Assessment Phase. A Final Clarification and Confirm ('FC&C') exercise is now ongoing. The Metrix Consortium's revised proposals have been received and are being evaluated.
	Package 2, to deliver specialist training for Logistics and Personnel Administration and Policing and Guarding (both Military and MOD Police), has just started a two year Assessment Phase.
	 (f) Future Aircraft Carrier
	The manufacture contract was signed on 3 July 2008 but further negotiations to agree a way forward are now underway with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance following the recent announcement of the intention to delay the in-service dates of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales by between one and two years.
	 (g) Apache Block III
	We have had early discussions with the US Army about their Block III upgrade programme but, to date, have not made any decisions about whether to adopt elements of the Block III programme as part of our own plans to sustain UK Apache capability through-life.
	 (h) Tornado Capability Upgrade Strategy (Pilot)
	The contract for the Design, Development and Integration stage was awarded on 21 December 2007.
	I am withholding information relating to the detail of any financial remedies that may be incurred as its disclosure could prejudice the commercial interests of the contractors and the Department.

Defence: Military Aircraft

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence against what timetable and in what instalments expenditure on the  (a) future strategic air tanker and  (b) Airbus A400M military transport aircraft will be incurred.

Quentin Davies: The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) service is planned to begin in 2011 with the full service being available by 2016. The MOD will not pay instalments but will pay for the service as it is used.
	Expenditure on the A400M programme is allocated separately to development and production activities. Development is funded in instalments by all partner nations against an agreed profile that started in 2003 and is on-going. Production is funded as a series of six payments against each individual aircraft, with the final payment occurring on actual delivery.

Defence: Military Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the estimated cost is of extending further the lives of the C-130K aircraft;
	(2)  what steps are being taken further to extend the lives of the C-130K aircraft;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of further extending the lives of the C-130K aircraft; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the current out-of-service date is for the C-130K aircraft.

Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 24 November 2008,  Official Report column 903W. No steps have been taken to extend the out of service date of the C130K fleet as work to assess the cost-effectiveness of options to mitigate any potential capability gaps that might arise as a result of delays to the A400M programme is ongoing.

Defence: Military Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many C-130K aircraft are to be retired in the current financial year.

Quentin Davies: We expect to retire one C130K aircraft before the end of the current financial year.

Defence: Military Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what options there are for bridging the potential capability gap if the A400M programme experiences further delays.

Quentin Davies: Following the announcement of delays by Airbus Military on the A400M programme, we are considering a number of options as a contingency to mitigate any potential capability gaps that may arise. These include an extension to the life of the C-130K fleet and leasing or procurement of additional C-17 and C-130J capacity.

Departmental Fuels

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department took in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08 to reduce its use of fuel derived from petroleum; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: holding answer 26 January 2009
	The Ministry of Defence has been working on alternative energy sources for several years. The RAF has led on examining fuel efficiency and alternative fuel sources, including the wider application of biofuels across the land, sea and air environments. In 1999, RAF aircraft were among the first in the world certified to fly on up to 50 per cent. non-crude oil derived synthetic fuel. Since 2008, RAF aircraft, excluding the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and a few small training aircraft have been certified to use 100 per cent. synthetic fuel.
	The MOD is also working with industry to develop ideas to achieve reduced dependency on fossil fuels.

Departmental Marketing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the banner stands bearing his image and title placed in his Department's main building; and how many such stands have been purchased.

John Hutton: Two pictures were purchased for a total cost of £381. Pictures of this type are routinely produced by the Department for new Secretaries of State as a part of the internal communications process. The stands were already owned and there was no cost involved in their use.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much capital expenditure has been brought forward in response to the economic downturn by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies to  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; from which years such expenditure has been brought forward; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: No Ministry of Defence capital expenditure has been brought forward in response to the economic downturn.

Guided Weapons

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current in-service date is for the Meteor missile.

Quentin Davies: Following a major review of the programme during 2007-08, the Meteor In-Service Date has been redefined to reflect a two-stage approach to delivering the capability:
	a fully developed missile standard ready for delivery and platform integration in August 2012; and
	the first front-line Typhoon unit declared Meteor-capable in July 2015.
	The review of the Meteor programme was made in light of changes to the perceived threat and to seek benefit from aligning integration of Meteor with other planned major Typhoon enhancements.

Joint Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which brigade forms the Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF); whether it is fully equipped; whether the present JRRF is deployed; and when the future JRRF will take over from the present JRRF.

Bob Ainsworth: The Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF) is a high readiness contingency capability which is deployed in support of the UK's foreign and security policy objectives. Each deployment is tailored to meet the operational requirements of the mission, and can draw from a pool of highly agile and adept units.
	JRRF commitments currently held at high readiness are the Spearhead Land Element (SLE) and Small Scale Contingent Battle Group (SSCBG). The SSCBG is provided by 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment until December 2009 and the SLE is based on 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment until 31 July 2009.
	For non-discretionary JRRF tasks, equipment holdings exist to ensure mission success. However, some equipment might need to be re-apportioned from other activities depending on the task, to ensure that appropriate quantities are available in the short term to meet the emergent need.
	No JRRF Brigade is currently deployed.

Military Aid: Belize

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) joint manoeuvres and  (b) other military co-operation there has been between the UK and Belize in each of the last 20 years.

Bob Ainsworth: Substantial British support has been provided to the Belizean Defence Force (BDF) since Belize's independence in 1981.
	The British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), formed in 1994, co-ordinated joint training activities and military co-operation initiatives but details of these for the last 20 years are not recorded.
	Examples of joint manoeuvres and military cooperation in the last three years, and activities which we expect to continue, include:
	The BDF has provided an opposing force for numerous exercises, in particular for six battlegroup size exercises;
	BDF personnel have participated on three six-week jungle courses;
	The UK Civil Military Cooperation group has provided comprehensive disaster relief training for the BDF during an exercise in 2006;
	The BDF provide opposing forces for The Infantry Battle School (IBS) final exercises and the IBS reciprocates by providing one free place for a BDF junior officer on each of its three platoon commanders battle courses in the UK;
	British helicopter support is provided free to the government of Belize and the BDF for approx 10 hours per month. Furthermore, emergency Forward Aero Medical Evacuation to hospital is provided by BATSUB for BDF soldiers if injured;
	Where the BDF lacks the equipment or resources to repair facilities if BATSUB has the expertise or the equipment to assist it will. Occasionally it is deemed appropriate to fund repairs if there is joint utility for BATSUB. A recent example is the replacement of a failed lighting system in the BDF's ammunition compound;
	Where British Army equipment becomes beyond economical repair authority is sought from the MOD UK to gift the equipment to the BDF. A recent example is 30 x 4 ton Bedford trucks;
	Joint civic events are held throughout the year, e.g. Remembrance Day parades, a military and police tattoo and a BDF open day;
	In 2008 the government of Belize authorised a British recruiting team to spend a month in Belize testing and evaluating over 700 Belizean applicants for the British Army in UK. Approx 130 were successful and some are already undergoing training in the UK.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual level of spare part availability is for each aircraft type in the Royal Air Force.  [Official Report, 18 November 2009, Vol. 501, c. 1MC.]

Quentin Davies: The required level of spares for RAF aircraft is included in contractual agreements with industry, or is set by the Front Line Command. The achieved level of available spares is measured as part of these agreements.
	The following information for the required and achieved level of spares is provided as at 30 November 2008 unless otherwise stated. Although not used as a performance indicator as part of a contract with industry, the off the shelf satisfaction rate (OTSSR) is also measured for some aircraft types, and is therefore included in the table. The OTSSR is defined as the percentage of demands for spares satisfied direct from MOD stock.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Aircraft  Requirement  Achieved  OTSSR 
			 Typhoon 80 76 76 
			 Tornado GR4 Provided under an aircraft availability contract with industry; spares availability is not measured. 95 
			 Tornado F3 As above 98 
			 Harrier GR7/GR9/T10/T12 85% of spares to be delivered within the required delivery date 86 96 
			 Nimrod MR2/R1 Provided under an aircraft availability contract with industry; spares availability is not measured 
			 Tristar 85 83 74 
			 VC10 80 87 - 
			 Sentry 90 95 - 
			 Sentinel 75, 95 and 95% of (1)spares to be delivered within the required delivery date (2)81, 73 and 71 - 
			 Hercules C-130J/K Provided under an aircraft availability contract with industry; spares availability is not measured. 
			 C-17 As above 
			 BAE 146 Spares availability is not measured(3) 
			 BAE 125 As above 
			 Sea King 3/3a airframe(4) Less than 5% operational days lost due to lack of spares 0.1% operational days lost in Oct-Dec 2008 96(5) 
			 Sea King engines(6) 95 95 (5)95 
			 Dominie Spares availability is not measured. 85 
			 HawkTl/T2 Provided under an aircraft availability contract with industry; spares availability is not measured. 86 
			 Tucano As above 95 
			 Vigilant Glider Spares availability is not measured. 95 
			 Viking Glider As above 95 
			 (1) 75% figure is for mission non-critical spares, 95% is for mission critical spares and 95% is for consumables. (2) This was for the period October-December 2008. (3) These aircraft are military derivatives of civil aircraft. Spare parts are procured on a "just-in-time" basis from the civil market to supplement minimum stock holdings held at the main and forward operating bases. (4) The Sea King Mk 3/3a is used by the RAF in the Search and Rescue role. (5) As at 31 October 2008. (6) These figures include the Sea King Mk4, Mk5 and Mk7 operated by the Royal Navy.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on helicopter (a) procurement and (b) maintenance in each year since 2001.

Quentin Davies: The amount spent on helicopter procurement in each financial year since 2001 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 710 
			 2002-03 470 
			 2003-04 250 
			 2004-05 110 
			 2005-06 160 
			 2006-07 190 
			 2007-08 490 
		
	
	In addition, sums in the region of £500 million have been spent on maintenance and support of in-service helicopters in each financial year since 2001-02. This includes equipment support, some stock consumption and manpower costs, along with the costs associated with the repair, maintenance, overhaul and associated Post Design Services. Other maintenance costs elsewhere, such as at the Front Line Commands, have not been included as these figures are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Quentin Davies: The Ministry of Defence has two lease agreements in place for the provision of the majority of non-operational cars (white fleet vehicles). It does not therefore own such vehicles under these arrangements. As at 31 December 2008 there were 8,701 cars leased under the UK and British forces Germany white fleet contracts. The engine sizes are broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Class  Size  Number 
			 Motor Vehicle Registration System (MVRIS) Class B Supermini (1000-1400 cc)-e.g. Ford Fiesta/Vauxhall Corsa 1,885 
			 MVRIS Class C Lower Medium (1300-2000 cc)-e.g. Ford Focus/Vauxhall Astra 4,907 
			 MVRIS Class D Upper Medium (1600-2800 cc)-e.g. Ford Mondeo/Vauxhall Vectra 1,300 
			 MVRIS Class H Dual Purpose 4x4 Vehicles (2500 cc) 55 
			 MVRIS Class I People Carriers (1800-2000 cc) e.g. Ford Galaxy/ Renault Espace 554 
		
	
	MVRIS is a motor industry system which provides data on the registration of new vehicles in the UK.
	The MOD also hires vehicles as and when required. This amounted to approximately 185,000 last year for the UK mainland. This can be broadly broken down as follows:
	MVRIS class B 24 per cent.; class C 60 per cent.; class D 14 per cent.; class I 12 per cent.
	MOD agencies such as the Defence Support Group, Met Office and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and overseas dependencies are outside of the White Fleet contract and have separate local arrangements. These details are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the small number of cars owned by Ministry of Defence for use on operations is being withheld as its disclosure could prejudice operational capability.

Pakistan: Nuclear Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what matters relating to Pakistan's nuclear weapons and their impact on security in the subcontinent were discussed on his recent visit to Pakistan.

John Hutton: These matters were not discussed.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Secondment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department have (i) met and (ii) spoken on the telephone to representatives of (A) Anglo American plc, (B) BHP Billiton plc, (C) Rio Tinto plc, (D) Vedanta plc and (E) Xstrata plc since April 2007; and how many staff from each such company have been seconded to his Department in that period.

Gareth Thomas: The following table shows the number of meetings and consultations by telephone which Ministers have had with the five companies since April 2007.
	
		
			   Minister 
			  Contact since April 2007 between DFID and:  phone  meeting 
			 Anglo-American 1 4 
			 BHP Billiton 0 0 
			 Rio Tinto 0 1 
			 Vedanta 0 0 
			 Xstrata 0 0 
		
	
	The information requested on meetings and calls between officials and these five companies cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	No staff from these companies have been seconded to the Department for International Development (DFID) since April 2007.

OLYMPICS

Departmental Cooperation

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics on what dates since June 2008 she has met  (a) the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport,  (b) the Director General of the Government Olympic Executive,  (c) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and  (d) Treasury officials to discuss the budget for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: I have frequent meetings with a wide variety of colleagues to discuss all aspects of the 2012 Olympic programme. Naturally, many of these discussions include the budget.

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Alan Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what proportion of materials delivered to the Olympic park have adhered to the Olympic Delivery Authority's target of 95 per cent. to be transported by sustainable methods.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority's sustainable development strategy set an aspiration to transport 50 per cent. of construction materials (by weight) by sustainable means. This target is reflected in the planning obligations for the Olympic park. As at November 2008, 57 per cent. of construction material has arrived by rail and/or water.

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Olympics who is responsible for assessing the business continuity plans of contractors working at the Olympic site.

Tessa Jowell: Contractors' business continuity plans are assessed by the Olympic Delivery Authority to ensure that they are able to perform their contractual requirements.

Olympic Games 2012: Hadleigh

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her plans are for Hadleigh's fishing lakes and ponds in the context of preparation of the facilities for the Olympic mountain bike events.

Tessa Jowell: The detailed planning on the course layout and the temporary facilities required to support the venue at Hadleigh Farm is scheduled to take place this year. As part of the town planning process technical studies will be undertaken later this year to determine the environmental and ecological impacts which need consideration, this will include consideration of the impacts on the existing fishing lakes and ponds. Furthermore the London Organising Committee will commence public engagement with the local community to understand those issues which require further consideration during the design development and planning phase.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Allowances

Francis Maude: To ask the Leader of the House with reference to my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1579W, on Members: allowances, what methodology is used to estimate the date upon which Members are deemed to incur costs; and whether hon. Members may spend against the communications allowance in the period between the announcement of a general election and the dissolution of Parliament in circumstances where the invoice for such expenditure is dated of a day upon which Parliament has been dissolved.

Chris Bryant: In general, the invoice or purchase date denotes when a Member has incurred a cost to be met from the allowances.
	The rules relating to the Communications Allowance, as given in the 'General Election Arrangements—Rules for Members', state that
	"claims from the Communications Allowance which relate to the period after the date the House is dissolved will not be met".
	Therefore, an invoice for goods or services dated after the date of Dissolution will not be paid. In addition, material paid for from the Communications Allowance cannot be distributed in any form after Dissolution irrespective of when the invoice was raised or the costs settled.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members have employed domestic staff using the additional costs allowance in the last three years for which information is available.

Chris Bryant: Members cannot employ staff from their additional costs allowance, although they may be reimbursed for services provided such as cleaning and garden maintenance. Typically this is done on a self-employed basis, but it would not be easy to determine precisely how many Members claim this way without incurring disproportionate cost.

Members: Offices

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House what recent estimate she has made of the number of hon. Members renting office accommodation from political parties  (a) in total and  (b) who are paying in excess of £5,000 per year in rent.

Chris Bryant: Sample figures collated for the Members Estimate Committee report Review of Allowances (HC 578-II) suggest that about 26 per cent. of Members rent office accommodation from political parties. About one-third of these pay more than £5,000 per year, although a proportion of this number have additional services such as telephones and photocopiers within the total cost.

Members: Staff

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members employ staff who are also employed by a political party.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held by the House although some information applying to parliamentary passholders only is available in the Register of Interests of Members' Secretaries and Research Assistants. There are no rules which prevent Member's staff having a second employment.

Ministerial Corrections

Francis Maude: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the Ministerial Correction of 11 December 2008,  Official Report, column 72W, correcting the answer of 11 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1129W, what role she personally played in  (a) issuing the original answer and  (b) issuing the correction.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend is responsible for all parliamentary questions and written ministerial statements issued in her name.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 individuals or organisations in England received the highest payments in sterling terms under subsidies available under the Common Agricultural Policy in 2007-08.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 20 January 2009
	The following list gives the 10 individuals and/or organisations that received the highest subsidies available under the common agricultural policy for the European financial year 2008, which runs from 16 October 2007 to 15 October 2008.
	 Individual/ o rganisation
	K G Growers
	G's Growers
	Farmcare Limited
	The Berryworld Producer Organisation
	Strutt and Parker Limited
	The National Trust
	Sir Richard Suttons Settles Estate
	Lilburn Estates Farming Partnership
	Blankley Estates Ltd
	Fruition Producer Organisation Limited.

Air Pollution

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which cities and towns in England were in breach of air quality laws on PM10 in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007 and  (d) 2008; what estimate he has made of when PM10 levels will fall within the legal limit in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Under EU legislation, the UK is required to monitor the air continuously for levels of particulate matter (PM10) and to report to the European Commission on an annual basis. The UK also reports modelled data, in accordance with the legislation.
	For the purposes of implementing EU legislation the UK is divided up into 43 agglomeration zones (areas with a contiguous population of over 250,000 as specified by the air quality directives) and non-agglomeration zones. There are 23 agglomeration zones in England and eight non-agglomeration zones; the latter are based on Government office regions in England.
	As a result of improvements over many years the limit values are met across more than 99 per cent. of the country, delivering significant health benefits. The few remaining areas where we have reported exceedences are small. The list of agglomeration and non-agglomeration zones where there were breaches of the limit values for PM10 in 2005, 2006 and 2007 is summarised as followed; provisional information for 2008 is also given as the fully ratified data are not yet available:
	 2005
	London, Bradford(1), Brighton (monitored)
	Birmingham, Stoke, Eastern, Yorkshire and Humberside, West Midlands zone (modelled)
	 2006
	London, Bradford(1), Brighton, Scunthorpe (monitored)
	Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Stoke, Coventry, Southampton, Eastern (modelled)
	 2007
	London, Brighton (monitored)
	Birmingham, Southampton (modelled)
	 2008  Provisional (monitored only)
	London
	(1 )Bradford experienced local building work.
	A new council directive on ambient air and cleaner air for Europe (2008/50/EC) was adopted in June 2008. Among other things it allows member states to exclude from their assessments particulate matter from natural sources (given that this cannot be controlled). This reduces the number of agglomeration and non-agglomeration zones in exceedence between 2005 and 2008 to six (plus one each in Scotland and Wales):
	Greater London urban area
	West Midlands urban area
	West Yorkshire urban area
	Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton
	Eastern England zone
	Yorkshire and Humberside zone
	In light of the challenges faced by nearly all member states in meeting the limit values by the 2005 attainment date, the directive allows member states to apply for a time extension until 2011, subject to meeting strict conditions and assessment by the European Commission. A consultation on a UK application for such a time extension will be published shortly which will demonstrate that the limit value will be met at all locations by 2011.

Air Pollution

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what notification he has received from the European Commission regarding the Government's legal obligations in respect of the air pollutant PM10; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Last June the European Commission wrote to all member states that reported exceedences of particulate matter (PM10) limit values in 2006—all member states had exceeded values except the Republic of Ireland. They asked for information by the end of September on the steps being taken in response to breaches of PM10 limit values reported in 2006 to achieve compliance.
	In light of the difficulties faced by most member states in achieving full compliance with the PM10 limit values by the attainment date (2005), council directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, which was adopted in June 2008, provides for a notification procedure for member states to apply for an exemption from the obligation to apply the PM10 limit value until 2011.
	The directive must be transposed into national legislation by June 2010 and does not contain any deadline for submitting any notification. Nevertheless, the Commission in their letter also stated that in the absence of a notification in accordance with article 22 of council directive 2008/50/EC by 31 October, they intended to propose pursuing legal enforcement action in relation to the reported breaches of the PM10 limit values.
	The UK Government replied to the Commission by the end of September setting out the UK's continuing efforts to meet limit values in as short a time as possible and the UK timetable for submitting our article 22 notification to the Commission. EU limits for PM10 are met across 99 per cent. of the UK and the few remaining areas where the UK has reported exceedences at some point since 2005 are small. Our actions to improve air quality are set out in our National Air Quality Strategy, published in 2007:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/strategy/
	We expect to publish our consultation on the UK draft notification shortly.

Bees: Research

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the written ministerial statement of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 14WS, on a new science agency, whether the Food and Environment Research Agency plans to  (a) undertake and  (b) commission research into bee health; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), is a new Executive agency of DEFRA which will come into being on 1 April 2009. Overall policy responsibility for bee health, including management of any research funding, will transfer into the agency. The National Bee Unit (NBU) (which will also be part of FERA) currently delivers DEFRA's bee health programme and undertakes research in support of the programme and will continue to so as part of FERA. The NBU will also continue to apply for funds from DEFRA and other organisations to carry out projects on other bee issues.
	DEFRA has recently announced additional funding for bee health research. £400,000 added to the existing c. £200,000 provision for each of the next five years. £500,000 per annum of this will be transferred to a new research programme which will consider the wider problems facing pollinators. The details of the research programme are still being negotiated with other potential funders and collaborators. We will announce further details once these negotiations are complete.

Biofuels

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the levels of emissions of  (a) particulates and  (b) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which would arise if the UK were to achieve its targets for the usage of biomass as a fuel as set in the UK Renewable Energy Strategy Consultation 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The consultation on a Renewable Energy Strategy, published in June 2008, set out a variety of ways in which biomass could be used as fuel. In terms of the pollutants mentioned, those uses which are subject to regulation by the Environment Agency and others, such as large scale electricity generation, are not thought likely to contribute significantly to any emissions increase. However, research by the Government and others has shown that the uptake of biomass for heating purposes, specifically the use of wood as a heating fuel, could under certain circumstances have significant impacts on air quality.
	DEFRA has undertaken an analysis of the likely impacts on air quality of achieving the levels of biomass uptake set out in the consultation. This analysis used a number of assumptions about the locations and types of units likely to be used, and about the effect this has on the use of other fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas. Given that the UK is starting from a very low level of biomass use, it has been assumed that the growth in biomass heat will be achieved by the use of modem equipment, whose emissions are relatively much lower than those of existing plant.
	The evidence base used to inform this analysis suggests that, for modern, efficient units, the emission of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) is minimal. Therefore no significant increase in emissions or ambient concentrations of PAH is expected as a results of meeting the specified levels of biomass heat.
	In terms of particles, analysis of the "baseline" scenario, i.e. the emissions we would expect with no change in biomass heat uptake but assuming all other policies operate as expected, shows that the emissions of particulate matter (as PM10) drop from 18.3 ktonnes in 2006 to 13.2 in 2020. Under the most likely uptake scenario for biomass heat, emissions fall to 14.5 ktonnes in 2020, a difference of 1.3 ktonnes. This analysis is very sensitive to the type of plant used and its location. In particular, the analysis assumed that the majority of uptake, especially in the early phase, is off the gas grid, and that the fuels it displaces are mainly coal and oil used for heating purposes.

Birds

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken on DNA sampling of those bird species at most risk of being taken illegally from the wild for commercial purposes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DNA testing carried out by the Animal Health Agency relating to Schedule 4 birds will be conducted on a risk-based and intelligence led approach. Similarly, risk-based decisions will be taken to conduct inspections using the following three main risk factors:
	1. Priority keepers
	2. Priority species
	3. Priority inspection types
	New processes have been introduced to improve operational effectiveness and to help implement the move away from traditional routine visits to a more directed and targeted inspection effort. This will enable more consistency and coordination between Animal Health and enforcement agencies and has already resulted in the development of a current DNA-related prosecution case, which is the first involving a Schedule 4 bird of prey for 10 years.

Birds

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish the proposed Game Bird Welfare Code; and whether he plans to consult on the code.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The working group currently drafting the code of practice on the welfare of game birds aims to publish a draft available for public consultation by July 2009.

Birds

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Martin Horwood) of 1 April 2008,  Official Report, column 726W, on birds: trade, which organisation has been contracted by his Department to assess the effects of the prohibition on the importation of wild birds into the EU; when the contract was let; what the stipulated date of completion of the contract is; how much the contract has cost his Department to date; and when he expects a report on the assessment to be published;
	(2)  when he expects the report on the effects of the prohibition on the importation of wild birds into the EU to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The contract was let on 13 December 2006 to the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The initial completion date for the work was 1 September 2007 but because of difficulties experienced by UNEP-WCMC in making contact with some countries their investigations were extended. An initial report was subsequently received on 18 January 2008. Uncertainties about some of the content of the report have delayed its finalisation, but it is now expected to be published in time for it to be presented to the next EU CITES Management Committee on 13 March. The cost of the contract has been £70,000.

Birds of Prey

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on reintroducing golden eagles to northern England.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We are committed to conserving our native species and habitats and it is important to use our resources wisely for this purpose. We would support the reintroduction of species if justified on environmental and sustainability grounds, but any proposal would have to be very carefully considered.
	I am not aware of any current proposals to reintroduce golden eagles to northern England. A reintroduction project for this species would require a full feasibility study and a formal assessment against internationally accepted guidelines produced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) before it could commence. No such feasibility study or IUCN assessment has been undertaken or commissioned by Natural England.

Birds of Prey

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on population levels for the hen harrier in England; and what recent steps it has taken to preserve hen harrier populations.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My Department has implemented a number of initiatives recently to address the conservation of birds of prey, including the hen harrier:
	The hen harrier was included in the list of species and habitats of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity in England, published on 22 May 2008, under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. The listing means that Government must take reasonable steps to further their conservation or promote the taking of such steps by others.
	Natural England is looking to improve the conservation of the hen harrier by examining the feasibility of reintroducing this species to the lowland part of its former range.
	On the basis of the work carried out by the National Wildlife Crime Unit, hen harrier persecution is a UK wildlife crime priority. The inclusion of hen harrier persecution as a wildlife crime priority for two years running demonstrates how seriously the Government take this issue.
	The wildlife incident investigation scheme (WIIS) investigates the deaths of wildlife throughout the UK where there is evidence that pesticide poisoning may be involved. WIIS is supported by the Campaign Against Illegal Poisoning (CAIP), which aims to protect some of Britain's rarest birds of prey and wildlife from accidental and illegal poisoning by pesticides, and was relaunched in July 2008. Over the next three years activities under CAIP will include preventing poisoning and improving detection of poisoning cases.
	To emphasise the Government's concern about persecution of birds of prey, on 23 October 2008, I publicly signed a pledge with a number of conservation and shooting interest organisations that recognised the importance of raptors in England and that there is no place for the illegal killing of these species.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the effects of bluetongue vaccination on fertility in bulls. [R]

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 26 January 2009
	Responsibility for licensing veterinary medicines in the UK, including bluetongue vaccine, rests with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). In licensing a product, the VMD assesses data on safety, quality and efficacy and establishes that the advantages of the product outweigh any risks before issuing a marketing authorisation. Once a product has been marketed, the VMD monitors its safety and efficacy through reports of suspected adverse reactions.
	There is no evidence from the data assessed prior to issuing a marketing authorisation or field use that bluetongue vaccination has any effect on fertility in bulls.

Charities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to which  (a) charities and  (b) voluntary organisations his Department has provided funding in the last five years; and how much funding was provided to each.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not hold this information centrally. The Department's grant programmes are administered by a wide range of delivery bodies.
	To collect the information centrally would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Catering

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) directly-operated and  (b) franchised catering outlets his Department and its agencies provides for staff.

Huw Irranca-Davies: From information held centrally, the Department has 37 directly-operated catering outlets and no franchised catering outlets.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the IT systems in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are fully accredited to the Government's security standards.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA and its agencies have over 1,000 discrete application systems of varying size, complexity and age. The build and management of IT systems is subject to a number of over-arching security controls that apply across the DEFRA IT estate. A joint project with DEFRA's IT service provider is under way to review all existing systems. Those continuing to meet an operational requirement will be subject to a formal accreditation procedure. For new systems, the accreditation process defined in the new Government Security Policy Framework (SPF) will be embedded into the system development life cycle.
	While it is not possible to provide an accurate assessment of the percentage of IT systems accredited to Government security standards across DEFRA and its agencies it is a fact that the DEFRA IT network infrastructure is accredited to Government standards required for the processing of protectively marked information. Work is currently in hand to ensure that the network fully meets the standards now defined in the SPF.
	In addition the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) network is fully accredited to Government standards, while the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) systems are accredited to ISO27001 standard.

Departmental Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008; and how much was spent on such bonuses in each of those years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table shows the paybill costs of bonuses paid in 2007 and 2008 pay awards and the number of bonuses paid.
	
		
			   £  Number 
			 2007 1,438,261 136 
			 2008 1,435,476 132 
		
	
	Non-consolidated cash payments, otherwise known as bonuses, reward in-year performances in relation to agreed objectives, or short-term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Bonuses are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	Bonuses are allocated by Departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the SSRB recommendations. The intention is that bonus decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the highest achievers.

Departmental Telephone Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what use  (a) his Department and  (b) service providers under contract to his Department make of (i) 0844 and 0845 telephone numbers and (ii) revenue-sharing telephone numbers for calls from members of the public; for which services such numbers are used; what prefixes are used for revenue-sharing numbers; how much revenue has accrued from revenue-sharing numbers in each of the last five years; what consideration his Department has given to introducing 03-prefixed telephone numbers for calls to all such services; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: From information held centrally, the Department has identified 38 0845 telephone numbers, which are used as common national numbers for helplines and enquiry lines covering elements of the Department's business. None of the numbers is revenue sharing. No 0844 numbers have been identified. Information on what use service providers under contract to the Department make of 0844 and 0845 numbers could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department is considering the introduction of 03-prefixed telephone numbers as part of its review of common national numbers.

Dredging: River Thames

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold a public consultation on the effects of dredging of the Thames for the Thames Gateway Port on  (a) the local fishing industry,  (b) the local ecology and  (c) Canvey Island sea defences; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Harbour Authority, London Gateway Port Ltd, has set up a Marine Ecological Advisory Group that will assess any impacts from the dredging operation. The group includes representatives from the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Marine and Fisheries Agency, Port of London Authority as well as the Kent and Essex Sea Fisheries Committee.
	Maintaining navigational safety within the tidal Thames is the responsibility of the Port of London Authority.

Environment Protection: Lighting

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce the effects on the environment of the use of mercury in low-energy light bulbs.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK and the European Union are committed to reducing the use of mercury and exposure to mercury of humans and the environment. This includes restricting usage where it is unnecessary; for example in new measuring instruments and in the chlor-alkaki industry. In cases where there are no alternatives and mercury usage is unavoidable, limits on mercury content are set.
	Energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) offer 75-80 per cent. in energy savings when compared with traditional incandescent lamps while in use, and also last much longer. CFLs contain an amount of mercury in order to operate and in the EU this is limited to 5 mg under the restriction of hazardous substances directive.
	There is increasing evidence that if the life times of CFL and incandescent lamp types are compared, CFLs will produce less mercury. This is due to the fact that mercury is emitted from power stations during electricity generation and, as CFLs are more energy efficient, they require less electricity overall.
	That said, CFLs should be disposed of responsibly. The European waste electrical and electronic equipment directive places a responsibility on manufacturers to ensure that these bulbs are disposed of in a safe manner.
	In June 2008 the European Lamp Companies' Federation pledged to limit the amount of mercury in lamps to below the legal requirement of 5 mg per lamp.

Environment Protection: Lighting

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has undertaken on the proportion of domestic lighting fittings which have the capacity to take low-energy fluorescent bulbs.

Jane Kennedy: Since they were first introduced in the 1980s, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have significantly decreased in size to match the size of old-fashioned incandescent bulbs and are therefore now available for virtually all standard household Edison bayonet and screw fittings.
	In 2007, through its Market Transformation Programme, DEFRA jointly commissioned, with the UK Lighting Association, a survey of household lighting stock and consumer attitudes. When asked, less than 3 per cent. of those interviewed said that they would not buy CFLs because they thought they might not fit their light fittings.
	UK homes commonly use fittings other than standard Edison fittings, including spot lamps, fluorescent tubes and novelty fittings. Many fittings are also controlled by dimmer switches and, while dimmable CFLs are now increasingly available on the market, standard CFLs cannot be used with these controls.
	In those instances where CFLs cannot be used, halogen 'look-alike' bulbs can be substituted: these are now on the market and are fully dimmable. However, these do not offer the same level of energy savings as CFLs.

Fishing: Licensing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate the cost to  (a) boat owners and  (b) recreational sea anglers of obtaining a licence under the proposals in Article 47 of the Commission's proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy, COM(2008) 721 final.

Huw Irranca-Davies: As part of the process of negotiating the proposal for a council regulation establishing a community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy, we shall be seeking clarification from the EU Commission on a number of issues relating to Article 47. Until then, it is difficult to accurately assess its potential impact in the areas referred to in this question.
	DEFRA shall be seeking stakeholders' views on these points which will be considered in more detail in the Impact Assessment that my officials are drafting, and which we shall publish as part of the formal consultation procedure.

Flood Control: Voluntary Organisations

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to involve voluntary sector organisations in the implementation of the action plan set out in the Government's response to the Pitt Review of the summer 2007 floods.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A number of steps have already been taken to involve the voluntary sector in the implementation of the action plan. This is largely though local flood response planning and response arrangements. For example, numerous local resilience forums now have Memorandums of Understanding with voluntary agencies to provide assistance to vulnerable people during flooding incidents and in providing care and support during recovery from flooding.
	The Government recognise and acknowledges the significant contribution that voluntary organisations can make. We will continue to provide guidance to response agencies on how voluntary sector groups can best be utilised during incidents and in the ongoing implementation of the action plan.
	DEFRA is also committed to helping the National Flood Forum to work both with and through third sector organisations to provide advocacy and voice on the issue of flood risk; and to encourage property owners to take action which improves their resilience to flooding.

Floods

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of regular local flooding on the sustainability of communities; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There has been no single piece of research which addresses the sustainability of communities after a flood event. However the impacts of flooding are known from individual case studies. These studies show how some communities resist adapting to flooding following an event and wish to return to a pre-flood status. Conversely, some communities, often in rural or suburban areas, establish flood groups and take affirmative, adaptive action to increase the resilience of the community to floods. These studies have also shown that the sustainability of communities can be negatively affected by flooding.
	The long-term adaptation of communities to increasing flood and coastal erosion risk is being considered under the ongoing cross-government 'Making Space for Water' programme. In respect of new development, Planning Policy Statement 25 Development and Flood Risk provides the policy framework for local planning authorities to avoid, manage and reduce flood risk towards delivering appropriate sustainable development in the right places.

Floods and Water Bill

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the draft Floods and Water Bill contains the measures on  (a) abstraction and  (b) water metering and charging, outlined in Future Water, Cm 7319.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government intend to publish their draft Floods and Water Bill in the spring. Its content is not yet finalised.
	However, and as set out in Future Water, the Government will shortly consult on proposed changes to the abstraction licensing system. Household water charging and metering are the subject of an ongoing independent review led by Anna Walker, which is due to report in the summer.

Floods: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations the Environment Agency has received on the waiving of controls on development in flood risk areas of Canvey Island in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has not received representations as described. The Environment Agency advises local authorities, which make decisions on planning applications within flood risk areas.

Floods: Pickering

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of properties at risk of flooding in Pickering, North Yorkshire.

Huw Irranca-Davies: An extensive study of the flood risk in Pickering carried out by the Environment Agency indicates that 52 residential and 13 commercial properties are considered to be at risk from a one-in-100-year flood.

Floods: Pickering

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the feasibility of creating upstream retention dams to protect against flooding of Pickering, North Yorkshire; and what estimate he has made of the cost of the project.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Durham university led a project with the local community, the local authority and the Forestry Commission to look at ways of managing floods in Pickering. The results of this study have been made available to the Environment Agency.
	The Environment Agency is now considering the technical issues associated with the creation of upstream storage above Pickering (including costs) from data supplied by Durham university. The technical appraisal will involve the local community throughout.
	The Environment Agency is supporting the Forestry Commission in a bid for a pilot project to look at other ways of reducing flood risk. The outcome of this bid will be known at the end of January.

Floods: River Ouseburn

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the strategic co-ordination group set up by the Environment Agency to investigate measures to reduce flood risk in the Ouseburn catchment is expected to report; and on what dates it has met.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A professional partnership consisting of Newcastle city council, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water Ltd. was formed to co-ordinate activities exploring flood risk alleviation opportunities across the city.
	The group has met three times since September 2008, most recently on 21 January 2009. At the end of 2008, the group held its first full public meeting, chaired by the leader of the council and attended by over 100 residents. The group expects to report further in March 2009.

Floods: West of England

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the percentage change in the incidence of flooding in the west of England has been during the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In order to collate instances of flooding that have taken place in the west of England over the last five years the consideration of a number of factors and definitions at a large number of locations would be required. These cannot readily be interpreted into a percentage.
	Factors such as comparison between years, the sources of flooding, flood warnings for tidal and fluvial flooding, the number of properties flooded and daily flow and rainfall records would need to be collated and analysed which would incur disproportionate cost.

Food From Britain

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to abolish his Department's non-departmental public body, Food from Britain; how much was spent by his Department on Food from Britain in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State announced the Government's intention to close down Food from Britain (FFB) in a written ministerial statement on 26 March 2008,  Official Report, column 9WS. The process of closing down FFB is already underway and it will cease operations as planned on 31 March 2009, though a small number of staff will remain until the end of June 2009 to prepare FFB's 2008-09 annual report and accounts. The close down is taking place in anticipation of FFB's formal dissolution in law which will happen as soon as a suitable legislative vehicle can be found.
	The amount of funding provided to FFB by DEFRA in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   DEFRA funding  (£) 
			 2008-09 4,000,000 
			 2007-08 6,025,400 
			 2006-07 6,014,095 
			 2005-06 6,419,642 
			 2004-05 6,427,472 
			 2003-04 6,413,955 
			 2002-03 5,902,602 
			 2001-02 7,923,999 
			 2000-01 5,582,663 
			 1999-2000 5,464,084 
			  Notes: 1. Data from the years 1999-2000 to 2007-08 is taken from Food from Britain Annual Report and Accounts 1999-2000 to 2007-08.  2. Data for 2007-08 and for 2008-09 was provided by DEFRA

Forestry Commission: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 November 2008,  Official Report, column 476W, on public relations: Forestry Commission, which  (a) external public affairs and  (b) external public relations firms hired in that period; and how much was spent on each firm.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Public affairs and public relations firms engaged by the Forestry Commission deal with a range of activities. These include the promotion of the public forest estate, including advertising and marketing of events and the promotion of visitor facilities and attractions. Other work includes the production and distribution of publicity resources (for example literature, video, display material), support for the regional distribution of Commission news releases, and strategic consultancy, for example preparation of communications plans.
	Some of the expenditure is on externally funded projects in which the Forestry Commission is a partner. A common feature of many of these projects is the focus on community engagement where communications plays a significant role.
	
		
			  Firm  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			 Government News Network 24,615.07 17,684.49 22,037.19 36,133.12 294.34 100,764.21 
			 COI Communications 4,516.25 809.05 — — 72,083.88 77,409.18 
			 Angel Tomney Associates 73,706.52 50,485.35 40,106.47 38,263.54 28,083.15 230,645.03 
			 Pennington PR Ltd. 38,243.33 65,621.68 22,178.13 2,203.13 2,702.50 130,948.77 
			 Focus PR Ltd. 31,103.63 55,953.62 — — — 87,057.25 
			 Osprey Communications Ltd. — 16,745.19 24,703.24 25,381.33 — 66,829.76 
			 Richard Darn 10,361.63 12,235.49 17,002.10 17,142.13 23,164.05 79,905.40 
			 James Delanoy — 5,522.50 15,216.25 22,869.69 29,355.04 72,963.48 
			 CSPR Ltd. — — 35,557.74 30,432.50 33,522.73 99,512.97 
			 Creative Concern 40,937.72 68,823.87 78,010.30 91,694.02 103,076.96 382,542.87 
			 Mark Dixon — — 788.82 — — 788.82 
			 Pam Beddard — — — 500.00 — 500.00 
			 Sue Forsyth Associates 5,708.74 1,321.87 8,074.25 176.25 — 15,281.11 
			 Total 229,192.89 295,203.11 263,674.49 264,795.71 292,282.65 1,345,148.85

Horses

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of microchipping of equidae.

Jane Kennedy: A new Commission regulation introducing compulsory microchipping of foals and older horses that have not previously been identified comes into force on 1 July 2009.
	The regulation is directly applicable throughout the United Kingdom. DEFRA are currently consulting on implementation of the legislation in England. This consultation will come to an end on 2 February. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.

Horses

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the establishment of a national database of equidae in England.

Jane Kennedy: The National Equine Database (NED) is a joint initiative between DEFRA and the horse industry designed to be of benefit to both parties. It contains information about every equine born or resident in the United Kingdom with a UK passport. It is used by Government to monitor horse passport compliance, aid disease control and surveillance and by the industry to improve quality of horses thus enhancing their value.

Inland Waterways Interdepartmental Working Group

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Interdepartmental Working Group on Inland Waterways last met; what its agenda was; and how often the Working Group meets.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Interdepartmental Working Group on Inland Waterways last met on 5 November 2008. Agenda items were: engagement with regional development agencies (with a presentation from the East Midlands Development Agency on regeneration projects linked to waterways); the review of Waterways for Tomorrow; the EFRA report on British Waterways and the Government's response; and the prioritisation of restoration projects. The group plans to meet three or four times a year.

Lighting: Waste Disposal

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what facilities are available for the safe disposal of light bulbs; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Certain types of lighting fall within the scope of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. These include the most common type of energy saving light bulbs: Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). A list of designated collection facilities which take back CFLs and other types of waste electrical and electronic equipment is available at:
	http://www.valpak.co.uk/dts/page1734la.aspx
	Retailers have a responsibility to tell their customers where they can take waste CFLs. Some retailers take back CFLs when they sell customers a new bulb.
	Under the WEEE Regulations, producers (manufacturers or importers) fund the treatment and recycling of equipment once it becomes waste. The regulations require that mercury is removed from CFLs and that at least 80 per cent. by weight of the materials be recycled or recovered. The producer responsibility requirements of the WEEE regulations have been in force since 1 July 2007.
	We are not aware of specific facilities for disposal of incandescent bulbs. These will be phased out across the EU by September 2012 because of their poor energy efficiency.

Marine and Coastal Access Bill

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which areas of his Department's budget he expects the cost of implementing proposals in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill to be met.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The cost of implementing this important legislation will be taken into account along with all the Department's other objectives when prioritising and allocating resources.

Marine and Coastal Access Bill

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the steps necessary to  (a) implement and  (b) enforce the provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill in respect of activity undertaken in the area between the 12 and 200-mile limits.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Marine and Coastal Access Bill provides a new legislative framework for our marine area, and much of the detailed implementation of the Bill will be through secondary legislation. Further cost-benefit analysis, impact assessments and consultation, both within Government and with the public, will be necessary for many elements of the Bill. These will be undertaken prior to the introduction of secondary legislation and accompanying guidance.
	Effective enforcement is essential to ensure that the rules and regulations designed to manage the marine area are followed. Under the Bill, we are consolidating and modernising existing inspection and investigation powers to provide a core set of common enforcement powers for sea fisheries, marine licensing and nature conservation. These will make it simpler for those being inspected to know what powers inspectors have.
	The impact assessment published alongside the Bill on 4 December 2008 provides our assessment of the key impacts to date of the provisions contained in the Bill. This includes those relating to the implementation and enforcement of sea fisheries, and nature conservation and marine licensing legislation between the 12 and 200 nautical mile limits.
	Discussions with the devolved Administrations continue on an official and ministerial level on those provisions in the Bill for which they have responsibility in the 12-200 nautical mile limit.

Members: Correspondence

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to be able to provide a substantive reply to the hon. Member for Hyndburn's letter of 12 August 2008 on behalf of his constituent, Mr. M. Saunders.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Ministers have received a range of representations about the move from charging based on rateable value to site area charging for surface water drainage. The Government are aware of the affordability issues faced by some customers as a result of the switch and are currently reviewing their position. While the issue is under consideration, letters will continue to be acknowledged, and I will respond in full as soon as possible.

Nature Conservation

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the recommendations made by the Joint Nature Conservation Council in its Review of Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1984, published in December 2004, were accepted; and what progress has been in implementing such recommendations.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee made seven recommendations in 2004 which formed part of the consultation on the review of the bird registration scheme in 2006. The recommendations related to the future management and implementation of the bird registration scheme. The following progress has been made with the implementation of the recommendations:
	On future reviews and the consequences of removing species from schedule 4, it would be possible to add species to the schedule if the evidence supported such a move. Otherwise I do not envisage a further review of the schedule for at least five years.
	With respect to better provision for maintaining a UK database, the National Wildlife Crime Unit now collate all intelligence relating to wildlife crime submitted by governmental and non-governmental organisations. This intelligence database forms the basis for identifying priorities for wildlife crime.
	The adoption of standard nomenclature for registering species is not currently considered to be a priority.
	On the need to register all hybrids that have a schedule 4 species in their recent lineage, the requirement to register hybrids was removed on 1 October 2008 as these birds did not meet the criteria for schedule 4:
	"the wild population is so small that even the taking of a very few individuals would have a detrimental impact on the conservation of the wild population".
	On the recommendation of DNA testing prior to the removal of any species from the schedule, Animal Health did not carry out DNA testing prior to species being removed from schedule 4. DEFRA had no evidence to suggest that the population of birds that were listed on schedule 4 were other than from legitimate sources. The costs of DNA testing the whole captive population would have been prohibitively expensive and would not have been justified by any possible enforcement or conservation benefit. Any DNA testing to be carried out by Animal Health Agency will be based on a risk and intelligence led approach.
	On the need for a uniform approach to any changes to schedule 4, my Department has pressed for this with the devolved Administrations. In England new regulations came into force on 1 October 2008. I understand Wales and Scotland are to amend schedule 4 in a similar way in the near future.

Offenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many former prisoners are employed by his Department; and what his Department's policy is on employing former prisoners.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Although information on the criminal history of candidates is collected as part of the recruitment process, this information is not held electronically for members of staff and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Within our recruitment process we carry out character reference checks and undertake security vetting and we request information on criminal records and convictions as part of both processes. When deciding whether or not to confirm an appointment on the basis of the vetting information received, we apply the criteria set out under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his Department's staff who left under  (a) an involuntary and  (b) a voluntary exit scheme in each year since 2005-06 received a severance package of (i) up to £25,000, (ii) £25,001 to £50,000, (iii) £50,001 to £75,000, (iv) £75,001 to £100,000 and (v) over £100,000; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In the three years since 2005-06 a total of 897 people have left on voluntary exit schemes and 33 people have left on involuntary exit schemes. These figures are broken down as follows:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			   Severance  Early retirement  Severance  Early retirement  Severance  Early retirement 
			  Voluntary leavers   
			 Less than £25,000 17 3 27 12 111 38 
			 £25,001 to £50,000 0 12 11 12 87 32 
			 £50,001 to £75,000 0 7 21 17 83 30 
			 £75,001 to £100,000 1 4 16 13 70 28 
			 More than £100,000 2 27 18 32 43 123 
			 Total number of leavers 20 53 93 86 394 251 
			
			  Involuntary leavers   
			 Less than £25,000 — — 8 8 2 0 
			 £25,001 to £50,000 — — 2 3 4 1 
			 £50,000 to £75,000 — — 0 1 1 0 
			 £75,001 to £100,000 — — 0 0 0 1 
			 More than £100,000 — — 0 0 1 1 
			 Total number of leavers — — 10 12 8 3 
		
	
	2007-08 saw a number of wide-ranging internal schemes within DEFRA to ensure we were making the most effective use of our resources and deliver efficiency savings imposed across Whitehall. Schemes pre-2007-08 were designed to achieve Treasury-agreed headcount reductions. The latter schemes were based on a Treasury-approved Business Case that expect to achieve savings of £21 million to £28 million over a five year period.

Rights Of Way

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 18 March 2008,  Official Report, column 948W, on rights of way, how many further rights of way have been restored by local authorities since March 2008; and what the cost to the public purse of the Discovering Lost Ways programme has been to date.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Discovering Lost Ways Project has now closed. The total cost incurred by the Countryside Agency and latterly Natural England in preparing for, establishing, running and ending the project was £5.2 million. The 26 cases referred to in the answer on 18 March 2008 continue to be considered by the local authorities concerned. Details of a further 201 cases were passed to relevant authorities at the time of project closure.
	The project was closed because Natural England formed the view that constraints on the ability of highways authorities to process claims and place newly identified historic rights of way on the definitive map within a reasonable timeframe would render the effort and expense of identifying such rights nugatory.
	Accordingly Natural England has now formed a Stakeholder Working Group to bring together key interests nationally to agree a package of strategic reforms, including any it considers would improve the system for processing claims and reduce unnecessary delay and bureaucracy. The Group is expected to report by the end of the year.

South Downs National Park

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many postcards his Department has received since 1 December 2008 in support of a South Downs National Park as proposed by the Countryside Agency in 2002.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has received around 16,000 postcards supporting the proposed South Downs National Park since 1 December 2008.

United Utilities

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will meet representatives of United Utilities to discuss the effects of their pricing policies on voluntary sports clubs; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: It is for Ofwat as independent economic regulator of the water industry to approve water company charges schemes. The Government are aware of the problem of affordability faced by some customers as a result of the switch to site area charging for surface water drainage and are looking at what can be done.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many councils have bid to participate in pilots for charges for the collection of household waste; what plans he has to invite further bids for pilots; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member for Meriden to the written statement on Household Waste Incentives on 22 January 2009,  Official Report, column 40WS.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to repeal the provisions in the Climate Change Act 2008 for charges for the collection of household waste.

Jane Kennedy: The provisions in the Climate Change Act 2008 were made following requests from local government for these powers to enable incentive schemes to be developed that would improve recycling.
	There are currently no plans to repeal the provisions so recently provided, although no local authority has brought forward a proposal to use the powers.

Water Charges

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on community sports clubs of increased costs arising from the new system of surface water charges.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government are aware of the problem of affordability faced by some customers as a result of the switch to site area charging for surface water drainage and is looking at what can be done.

Water Charges

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department or its agencies have carried out an assessment of the effect of the new system of water rates on  (a) churches,  (b) scout huts and girl guide huts and  (c) sports clubs.

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, 
	(1)  Food and Rural Affairs what economic and financial impact assessments on the effects of the increase in charges for surface water management on  (a) churches and  (b) community sports clubs have been undertaken; and what conclusions such assessments reached;
	(2)  what consideration was given to alternative forms of charging for surface water management in respect of  (a) churches,  (b) voluntary groups and  (c) charities; and what criteria were taken into account in determining the form of charges;
	(3)  if he will delay the introduction of amended charges for surface water management in order to assess the financial and economic effect of the charges on those less able to pay.

Huw Irranca-Davies: One of Ofwat's duties, as the economic regulator of the water and sewerage sector in England and Wales, is to approve water and sewerage company charging schemes. It is for the individual companies, as private bodies, to set their own charging policy. But these must adhere to company licensing agreements, which Ofwat checks and monitors.
	In September 2003, Ofwat provided guidance (RD35/03) to companies on charging non-households for surface water drainage by site-based area. It said that companies which are thinking of introducing site-area charging need to assess possible impacts on all customers' bills. In particular, companies will need to take into account the scale and speed of any bill changes to see if they are reasonable and acceptable to customers.

Water Supply: South East

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the availability of water supplies for  (a) Essex and  (b) the south-east during the next 20 years; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Water companies have statutory duties to maintain adequate supplies of water.
	In April 2007, it became a statutory requirement for water companies to prepare and maintain water resources management plans. These plans look 25 years ahead and include projections of current and future demands for water, and describe how the companies will meet this demand, in order to meet their water supply obligations.
	These plans are regularly updated, and must take account of relevant factors, such as the most up-to-date information available on housing numbers, population forecasts and climate change.
	Last summer, companies' water resources management plans were subject to public consultation for the first time. Water companies, including those in Essex and the south-east, are now considering the comments received and will shortly prepare statements of response. Finalised plans will come into effect on 1 April 2010.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Arrest Warrants

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many outstanding warrants have been received from the  (a) Garda Siochana and  (b) Ministry of Justice of the Irish Republic in respect of persons in Northern Ireland; to what alleged offence or offences each warrant relates; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Buildings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in the last five years; how much has been spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office is responsible for the repair, maintenance and improvement of a number of sites in various locations across both Northern Ireland and Great Britain. All costs covering the categories requested would be met under the budget for maintenance and minor works. Identifying costs for each of the categories mentioned would be possible only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the NIO's expenditure, excluding Agencies and Executive NDPBs, on maintenance and minor works in the last five years:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£000) 
			 2007-08 1,792 
			 2006-07 2,600 
			 2005-06 2,234 
			 2004-05 2,728 
			 2003-04 2,057 
		
	
	These figures include expenditure such as furniture, professional fees, labour and material costs. There is no departmental budget allocation specifically for decoration.

Departmental Manpower

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of staff are employed in his Department's media and communications team; when each member of staff was recruited; what the responsibilities of each member of staff are; and what the salary of each member of staff is.

Shaun Woodward: There are currently nine members of staff employed as press officers in the Northern Ireland Information Service. Based on monthly salaries, the total amount for 2008 was £314,684.88. The recruitment of staff is based on an assessment of business needs. The responsibility of each member of staff is to communicate Government information and policy on all issues relating to non-devolved matters.

Departmental Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008; and how much was spent on such bonuses in each of those years.

Shaun Woodward: Bonuses for senior civil service (SCS) staff are calculated on the basis of the Government's response to the recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body. Individual bonus recommendations are made by line managers and these are moderated by a number of remuneration committees with the involvement of a non-executive Director.
	In 2007, 40 members of the SCS received an end year non-consolidated bonus totalling £298,650. In 2008, 42 SCS staff received an end year non-consolidated bonus totalling £317,200.

Human Rights: Cross Border Co-operation

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will hold discussions with the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Ireland on initiatives for co-operation between the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Republic of Ireland Human Rights Commission.

Shaun Woodward: Joint Committee meetings are held quarterly between the two Commissions. As the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission remains independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to them directly should he wish to explore this matter further.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations: Islam

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings Ministers in her Department have had with groups of British Muslims on the possible effects of events in Gaza since 27 December 2008 on community cohesion; and what the names were of the individuals who attended each meeting.

Sadiq Khan: Since 27 December the following meetings have been held:
	On 6 January I and Bill Rammell, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met a range of representatives and individuals from a number of organisations including but not limited to the Quilliam Foundation, Muslim Council of Britain, British Muslim Forum, the Sufi Muslim Council, the Al Khoei Foundation, the UK Ismaili Council and the Ithna Asheri Khoja Shia World Federation.
	On 8 January I and Bill Rammell, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, met members of the National Muslim Women's Advisory Group (NMWAG).
	On 10 January I met the Young Muslims Advisory Group (YMAG) at their YMAG residential meeting.
	On 12 January the Communities Secretary, the Foreign Secretary and I met representatives and individuals from a number of organisations including but not limited to the Quilliam Foundation, Muslim Council of Britain, British Muslim Forum, City Circle, the YMAG, British Muslims for a Secular Democracy, the Sufi Muslim Council, the Al Khoei Foundation, the UK Ismaili Council and the Ithna Asheri Khoja Shia World Federation.
	On 13 January I and Bill Rammell, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, met members of the YMAG.
	On 15 January the Communities Secretary and the Home Secretary met representatives and individuals from a number of organisations, including the Sufi Muslim Council, Al Khoei Foundation, the NMWAG, the Ithna Asheri Khoja Shia World Federation, Association of Muslim Social Scientists, the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, Active Change Foundation, and Quilliam Foundation.
	On 15 January I met members of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board.
	On 15 January I also met front line providers and deliverers to hear their concerns.

Council Housing: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were on local authority housing waiting lists in the East of England in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.

Iain Wright: Information on local authority housing waiting lists is collected in respect of households rather than individuals. The number of households on the local authority housing waiting lists in the East of England in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area is given in the following table.
	
		
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 EAST 91,950 98,070 94,850 99,490 110,970 134,310 129,180 135,440 146,250 147,850 
			
			 Luton UA 5,620 4,330 4,810 6,000 7,050 8,770 3,360 3,820 5,170 6,810 
			 Peterborough UA 3,130 3,350 3,070 2,650 2,110 4,850 6,040 6,290 6,640 8,550 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 1,070 1,260 1,600 1,810 2,270 2,980 3,760 3,500 3,460 3,460 
			 Thurrock UA 1,800 2,930 3,930 4,640 5,390 9,470 3,070 2,950 2,820 2,500 
			
			 Bedfordshire 6,750 6,970 9,190 7,290 7,280 8,180 7,890 7,270 7,570 7,010 
			 Bedford 2,450 2,700 3,680 2,070 2,890 2,710 2,650 2,360 2,600 2,210 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 1,650 1,670 2,200 2,670 2,240 2,880 2,910 2,600 2,940 2,870 
			 South Bedfordshire 2,650 2,610 3,310 2,560 2,150 2,590 2,330 2,300 2,040 1,930 
			
			 Cambridgeshire 11,280 12,290 11,930 9,900 11,120 12,230 14,380 14,800 15,460 15,190 
			 Cambridge 4,320 4,580 4,470 2,860 3,220 3,720 4,250 4,740 5,210 5,980 
			 East Cambridgeshire 1,040 1,260 1,250 1,400 1,540 1,740 1,480 1,440 1,480 1,600 
			 Fenland 1,840 1,080 1,290 1,190 1,250 1,440 2,230 2,030 1,970 1,800 
			 Huntingdonshire 1,790 2,500 3,420 2,720 2,910 2,770 2,890 2,430 2,140 2,180 
			 South Cambridgeshire 2,290 2,870 1,500 1,730 2,210 2,550 3,540 4,160 4,660 3,630 
			
			 Essex 21,680 22,090 16,610 19,820 23,740 31,810 26,930 29,540 32,260 30,770 
			 Basildon 2,880 2,870 1,750 2,380 3,030 3,180 2,800 2,530 4,080 2,050 
			 Braintree 2,500 2,850 2,430 2,390 2,460 2,310 2,280 2,590 2,010 2,280 
			 Brentwood 510 520 460 370 460 780 1,090 1,440 1,070 1,580 
			 Castle Point 660 700 480 600 940 1,260 780 1,060 1,440 1,470 
			 Chelmsford 3,730 3,580 1,640 3,870 5,090 5,440 5,750 5,350 5,270 2,450 
			 Colchester 3,240 2,150 2,090 1,910 1,590 2,010 2,030 2,500 2,790 3,750 
			 Epping Forest 1,910 2,070 1,770 1,480 2,170 3,280 2,960 4,090 3,630 3,970 
			 Harlow 1,930 2,180 1,910 2,170 3,060 3,680 3,300 4,090 6,230 7,010 
			 Maldon 510 720 350 490 740 5,140 980 910 790 920 
			 Rochford 870 1,050 660 910 580 680 630 900 350 440 
			 Tendring 1,960 2,500 2,760 2,370 2,850 2,930 3,400 3,160 3,390 3,560 
			 Uttlesford 960 910 320 890 770 1,140 930 920 1,210 1,290 
			
			 Hertfordshire 18,600 18,180 16,790 16,590 19,680 20,650 20,530 21,700 25,920 26,890 
			 Broxbourne 1,670 1,420 1,380 1,400 2,330 2,490 2,630 2,090 2,010 1,360 
			 Dacorum 3,480 3,520 3,040 3,400 3,470 3,230 3,060 2,400 4,410 4,790 
			 East Hertfordshire 1,500 1,530 1,440 1,580 1,770 2,380 2,100 2,510 2,750 2,400 
			 Hertsmere 660 580 400 420 650 890 960 900 1,360 1,500 
			 North Hertfordshire 1,960 1,810 1,180 880 1,110 950 850 1,220 1,920 1,850 
			 St. Albans 1,600 1,730 1,860 1,940 1,760 1,680 1,520 1,650 1,740 1,520 
			 Stevenage 3,250 2,680 2,060 2,280 2,660 2,820 3,080 3,910 4,100 4,940 
			 Three Rivers 820 1,020 850 1,000 1,670 1,570 1,720 1,760 1,830 1,830 
			 Watford 1,470 1,450 1,860 1,160 1,370 1,850 2,000 1,980 2,260 3,070 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 2,200 2,450 2,740 2,540 2,890 2,790 2,610 3,300 3,540 3,640 
			
			 Norfolk 11,140 14,110 14,610 18,230 19,490 21,000 26,360 27,920 29,800 30,360 
			 Breckland 1,480 1,590 1,550 2,010 2,400 2,450 3,450 3,450 2,750 3,160 
			 Broadland 1,070 1,980 880 2,040 2,190 2,550 2,610 3,190 3,880 2,800 
			 Great Yarmouth 1,920 2,380 2,960 3,250 2,460 2,900 5,040 5,470 5,920 5,330 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 1,390 1,850 2,050 2,470 3,200 2,970 4,540 4,650 5,610 5,430 
			 North Norfolk 860 1,000 1,480 1,620 1,940 2,480 2,450 2,600 3,280 3,700 
			 Norwich 2,910 3,100 3,610 4,950 5,150 5,270 5,580 5,600 5,260 7,000 
			 South Norfolk 1,520 2,220 2,090 1,890 2,150 2,380 2,590 2,970 3,120 2,950 
			
			 Suffolk 10,880 12,550 12,310 12,550 12,830 14,370 16,870 17,680 17,150 16,300 
			 Babergh 1,070 1,070 1,050 1,010 1,380 1,530 1,470 1,920 1,700 1,780 
			 Forest Heath 1,060 1,050 970 980 1,060 1,110 1,220 1,510 1,510 1,230 
			 Ipswich 2,760 3,010 3,100 3,430 2,650 3,540 3,550 3,850 4,860 3,520 
			 Mid Suffolk 1,550 1,600 1,590 1,610 1,490 1,760 1,840 1,850 1,590 2,040 
			 St. Edmundsbury 1,800 2,610 2,120 2,230 2,810 3,100 4,120 4,670 4,430 5,090 
			 Suffolk Coastal 960 1,390 1,520 1,290 1,200 1,400 1,570 1,260 930 840 
			 Waveney 1,680 1,810 1,950 2,010 2,230 1,920 3,110 2,620 2,130 1,800 
			  Note: As reported by local authorities. As at 1 April  Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return (HSSA) 
		
	
	Further information on the number of households on the local authority housing waiting lists for England, can be found in the statistical release "Local Authority Housing Statistics England: 2007-08: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA)" This was published on 22 January 2009 on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/piiblications/corporate/statistics/lahousing200708
	Additionally, information on the number of households on local authority housing waiting lists broken down by Government office region and for every local authority, including the percentage of households this represents, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table600.xls
	Copies of the statistical release and live table have been deposited in the Library.
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual housing strategy statistical appendix returns. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time. The size of the waiting list is not an indicator of absolute need, it is only useful as a broad indicator of housing demand in an area.

Council Housing: South West

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were on the  (a) Bath and North East Somerset Council,  (b) North Somerset Council,  (c) Bristol City Council and  (d) South Gloucestershire Council housing register at 1 April in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: The number of households on the local authority housing waiting lists in  (a) Bath and North East Somerset Council,  (b) North Somerset Council,  (c) Bristol City Council and  (d) South Gloucestershire Council at 1 April for the past 10 years is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of households on the waiting list (excludes households looking for transfers) 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Bath and North East Somerset UA 2,430 3,320 3,520 2,380 2,640 3,290 3,180 5,460 5,940 5,440 
			 North Somerset UA 3,700 2,620 4,000 2,880 2,960 3,730 3,950 4,470 4,900 5,800 
			 City of Bristol, UA 11,300 12,280 11,850 11,380 12,940 11,630 11,810 12,930 14,450 10,110 
			 South Gloucestershire 3,540 4,520 5,530 3,510 5,210 4,960 4,050 4,610 3,840 4,870 
			  Note: As reported by local authorities. As at 1 April.  Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return (HSSA) 
		
	
	Further information on the number of households on the local authority housing waiting lists for England, can be found in the statistical release "Local Authority Housing Statistics England: 2007-08: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA)" This was published on 22 January 2009 on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/lahousing200708
	Additionally, information on the number of households on local authority housing waiting lists broken down by Government Office Region and for every local authority, including the percentage of households this represents, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table600.xls
	Copies of the statistical release and live table have been deposited in the Library.
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time. The size of the waiting list is not an indicator of absolute need, it is only useful as a broad indicator of housing demand in an area.

Departmental Data Protection

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many members of staff in her Department have been  (a) investigated,  (b) suspended and  (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to her Department in each year since its inception.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 786-87W.

Departmental Furniture

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much expenditure her Department incurred under general ledger account number 10006 (furniture and fittings at cost) in the last year for which audited figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: Expenditure of £462,000 is shown in Note 13 (on page 56) of the audited Departmental Resource Accounts for 2007-08 (HC 791) published on 21 July 2008.

Departmental Standards

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects sponsored by  (a) her Department and  (b) the Government Office for London, were subject to gateway reviews in each of the last four years; what status each project was assigned under such reviews; how much her Department spent on gateway reviews in each such year; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: holding answer 26 January 2009
	The projects sponsored by Communities and Local Government which have undergone gateway reviews over the last four years are listed as follows. There have been no gateway reviews relating to Government Office for London projects.
	National Register of Social Housing
	Sustainable Communities Summit Franchise
	Leeds Regional and Town Co-location Review
	Electronic Electoral Services Procurement
	Application Service provider
	IT Services Outstanding
	TESA
	Fire and Rescue Service Centre of Excellence
	e-Consultation
	MCIS
	Community Builders Programme
	Housing Corporation IT System
	Commercial Registry Service
	Pan-Govt Agreement on Geographical Information Project
	Open Spaces Works Project
	Fire and Rescue Service e-learning project
	Building Regulations Part L
	Fire Service College
	Replacement Telephone System (RTS)
	Webwrap
	Tenancy Deposit Protection Project
	SpaceFlex
	Government Connect Programme
	Hub Services Project
	FRS Learning and Development Strategy Programme
	CAA Programme
	Energy Performance in Buildings Directive Programme
	Fire Resilience Programme
	Home Information Packs Programme
	Thames Gateway programme
	Local Area Agreements Programme
	Local Govt White Paper implementation Programme
	Homes and Communities Agency
	FireControl
	New Dimension
	Firelink
	Long Term Contract Management
	European Regional Development Fund
	Infrastructure Planning Commission
	Go Transformation
	New Intervention Framework Project
	HCR Database
	Council Tax Revaluation 2007
	e-Fire Programme
	GO IT Services Outstanding Procurement Project (GOITSOP)
	Growth Areas Funds
	QE2 CC Chillers
	Planning Casework Project
	Euro Preparation Programme
	e-planning
	Gateway reviews are conducted on a confidential basis for the senior responsible owner (SRO) of the project. The final report including its associated RAG (red, amber or green) status is confidential to the SRO. This approach promotes an open and honest exchange between the project and review teams during the review and ensures the review delivers maximum added value.
	The cost to the Department for conducting reviews in 2007-08 was £28,000 (excluding value added tax). Prior to that, costs for reviews were met centrally by the Office of Government Commerce.

Departmental Working Hours

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the policy of her Department and its agencies is on granting staff time off in lieu for working  (a) in lunch breaks,  (b) in evenings and  (c) at other times outside contracted working hours; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Staff working outside their normal working pattern can agree with their line manager a suitable alternative time to take off any accumulated hours subject to the work flows and reasonable demands of the office.

Departmental Working Hours

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many days off in lieu were granted to staff in  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies for working (i) in lunch breaks and (ii) at other times outside contracted working hours, in the last year for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what efficiency savings have been made by the fire and rescue service in England in each region since 2003; and what such savings have been made by each fire and rescue authority over the same period.

Sadiq Khan: The Government did not set an efficiency target for the English fire and rescue service prior to 2004.
	The fire and rescue service was set a national target to achieve £105 million in cash-releasing efficiency savings across the period 2004-08. They exceeded the target and achieved approximately £197 million. The efficiency savings achieved by each fire and rescue authority are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Fire and rescue authority  Total (£) 
			 Avon 5,460,000 
			 Bedfordshire 1,170,000 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,187,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 863,000 
			 Cheshire 2,576,000 
			 Cleveland 5,106,000 
			 Cornwall 1,710,000 
			 Cumbria 1,714,000 
			 Derbyshire 2,481,000 
			 Devon And Somerset(1) 3,508,000 
			 Dorset 1,332,000 
			 Durham and Darlington 1,779,000 
			 East Sussex 1,883,000 
			 Essex 4,396,000 
			 Gloucestershire 785,000 
			 Greater Manchester 29,414,000 
			 Hampshire 4,958,000 
			 Hereford and Worcestershire 2,245,000 
			 Hertfordshire 1,256,000 
			 Humberside 2,715,000 
			 Isle of Wight 1,197,000 
			 Isles of Scilly 4,511 
			 Kent and Medway 5,285,000 
			 Lancashire 5,732,000 
			 Leicestershire 2,342,000 
			 Lincolnshire 1,593,000 
			 LFEPA 33,457,000 
			 Merseyside 15,140,000 
			 Norfolk 2,582,000 
			 North Yorkshire 1,305,000 
			 Northamptonshire 2,023,000 
			 Northumberland 3,374,000 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,652,000 
			 Oxfordshire 950,000 
			 Royal Berkshire 1,319,000 
			 Shropshire 940,000 
			 South Yorkshire 5,518,000 
			 Stoke and Staffordshire 2,254,000 
			 Suffolk 1,181,000 
			 Surrey 4,641,000 
			 Tyne and Wear 5,125,000 
			 Warwickshire 594,000 
			 West Midlands 7,734,000 
			 West Sussex 1,849,000 
			 West Yorkshire 10,347,000 
			 Wiltshire 843,000 
			 (1) Devon and Somerset fire and rescue authorities were merged in April 2007 therefore reported individually on efficiency savings achieved prior to this date. 
		
	
	The efficiency savings achieved by each region from 2004-08 were:
	
		
			  Region  Total (£) 
			 South West 13,642,511 
			 South East 23,269,000 
			 London 33,457,000 
			 East of England 11,448,000 
			 East Midlands 12,091,000 
			 West Midlands 13,767,000 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 19,885,000 
			 North West 54,576,000 
			 North East 15,384,000

Fire Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which regional control centres for the Fire Service have been completed; on what date each was completed; and what estimate has been made for planning purposes of the date upon which her Department will become liable for the running costs of each fire regional control centre which remains to be completed.

Sadiq Khan: All regional control centres except London have now reached Practical Completion. London is expected to reach Practical Completion in early 2010 as planned. Once Practical Completion is completed, CLG becomes liable for running costs. The Practical Completion dates for the new Regional Control Centres are as follows:
	
		
			  Practical completion date  Region 
			 29 June 2007 North East 
			 29 June 2007 East Midlands 
			 15 August 2007 South West 
			 20 December 2007 West Midlands 
			 14 May 2008 South East 
			 1 July 2008 North West 
			 1 July 2008 Yorkshire and Humber 
			 1 October 2008 East of England

Fire Services: Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) enforcement notices and  (b) prohibition notices have been issued by fire and rescue services to bed and breakfast premises under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 since 1 October 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Available information is for the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, in which the fire and rescue services reported issuing 947 enforcement notices and 71 prohibition notices to hotels. These may include bed and breakfast premises.
	Separate information on enforcement activity on bed and breakfast premises is not centrally held.

Fire Services: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the expenditure her Department will incur in meeting the rental and other building costs on buildings housing fire service regional control between the first scheduled cut-over date and the last scheduled cut-over date, broken down by region.

Sadiq Khan: The estimated cost to the Department between first and the last cut over is as follows.
	
		
			  Region  Estimated cost to the Department between first and last cut ove r (£) 
			 North East 370,000 
			 South West 1,240,000 
			 East Midlands 590,000 
			 West Midlands 920,000 
			 South East 670,000 
			 North West 450,000 
			 Yorks and Humber 310,000 
			 East of England 340,000 
			 London 0 
			 Total 4,890,000

Fire Services: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much central funding was provided to each regional fire management board in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: No central funding has been provided to the fire and rescue service regional management boards. Regional management board running costs are expected to be met from within the constituent fire and rescue authorities' existing budgets.

Fire Services: Pay

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average salary of a chief fire officer was in  (a) 2003 and  (b) the latest year for which figures are available; and what the average was in each (i) fire authority area and (ii) region in each year.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not held centrally.

Fire Services: Working Hours

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 9 October 2007,  Official Report, column 563W, on fire services: Working Time Directive, what assessment she has made of the effect of proposed changes to the Working Time Directive on the ability of retained duty system firefighters to work more than 48 hours a week in primary and secondary employment; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1076W.

FireGuard

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the role of Firebuy was in the FireGuard project.

Sadiq Khan: Firebuy, the national procurement body for the English fire and rescue service, undertook the procurement for the Fireguard project at the request of 33 fire and rescue authorities, led by the Chief Fire Officers' Association.

Fires: Injuries

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the  (a) injuries and  (b) deaths caused by domestic fires occurred in domestic fires attributable to (i) the absence of a smoke alarm and (ii) smoking materials in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: Statistics concerning the number of deaths and injuries in dwelling fires, attended by Fire and Rescue Services in England, from 2003 to 2007, that were caused by (i) smokers materials and (ii) that occurred in fires where a smoke alarm was either absent or did not operate are set out in the following tables. Figures for 2007 are provisional.
	
		
			  Table 1: Casualties from fires in dwellings, by presence and operation of smoke alarms, England 2003 - 07( 1) 
			   Total  Present, operated and raised alarm  Present, operated, but did not raise alarm 
			   Fatal casualties  Non fatal casualties  Fatal casualties  Non fatal casualties  Fatal casualties  Non fatal casualties 
			 2003 344 9,776 55 2,817 16 500 
			 2004 268 9,317 24 2,830 19 522 
			 2005 288 9,151 43 2,977 29 595 
			 2006 287 8,914 47 3,083 28 559 
			 2007 240 8,534 54 3,131 32 567 
		
	
	
		
			   Present but did not operate  Absent  Unspecified 
			   Fatal casualties  Non fatal casualties  Fatal casualties  Non fatal casualties  Fatal casualties  Non fatal casualties 
			 2003 62 1,433 211 5,026 0 0 
			 2004 65 1,524 160 4,441 0 0 
			 2005 52 1,501 164 4,077 0 1 
			 2006 53 1,267 159 4,005 0 0 
			 2007 46 1,440 108 3,396 0 0 
			 (1 )Figures for 2007 are provisional. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Casualties from dwelling fires, started by smoker's materials, England, 2003 - 07( 1) 
			   Fatal casualties  Non fatal casualties 
			 2003 93 1,057 
			 2004 73 941 
			 2005 73 812 
			 2006 73 890 
			 2007 69 792 
			 (1) Figures for 2007 are provisional

Group 4 Securicor

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what dates  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department met representatives of Group 4 to discuss the provision of services in the last 12 months; where each such meeting took place; and what the outcomes were.

Sadiq Khan: No Ministers or officials in the Department of Communities and Local Government have met representatives of Group 4 to discuss the provision of services.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to issue further guidance on home information packs consequent upon the recent revision of the regulations affecting such packs.

Margaret Beckett: The Department will be preparing and communicating advice to help consumers and industry understand and plan for the changes to the home information pack regulations that will come into force on 6 April 2009.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 955W, on housing, when she plans to publish the Housing Reform Green Paper.

Margaret Beckett: As per my answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 955W, I am currently considering the content and timing of the Green Paper.

Housing: Low Incomes

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many homes have been bought in each region through the National Clearing House;
	(2)  how much has been spent by the National Clearing House on purchasing unsold homes for affordable housing;
	(3)  whether  (a) housing associations and  (b) local authorities are able to purchase empty land using the National Clearing House.

Iain Wright: In May, the Government announced a plan to take advantage of market opportunities to bring private sector developer stock into the affordable housing sector by providing £200 million of funding through the Housing Corporation's national affordable housing programme (AHP) for the purchase of homes from house builders. These funds are not being used to purchase empty land.
	To help facilitate this, the Housing Corporation set up the National Clearing House to streamline initial assessment of national packages of at least 250 units from private sector house builders. Housing Corporation investment partners, mainly registered social landlords, wishing to buy smaller numbers of units from developers could bid for funding directly to the corporation in the normal way.
	To the end of December over £160 million had been allocated from the initial £200 million. The following table shows the distribution of these allocations by region and social rent and low cost home ownership.
	
		
			   Social rent  LCHO 
			  Region  Total grant (£ million)  Number of homes  Total grant (£ million)  Number of homes 
			 East 10.9 276 2.2 172 
			 East Midlands 19.8 506 1.5 160 
			 London 14.3 424 1.3 51 
			 North East 2.9 56 0.7 29 
			 North West 12.7 338 1.6 89 
			 South East 21.4 397 3.9 278 
			 South West 41.1 892 1.9 219 
			 West Midlands 20.0 524 3.6 364 
			 Yorks and Humber 4.3 159 0.1 15 
			 Total 147.4 3,572 16.8 1,377

Local Government Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the data contained on the second advance subsidy form submitted to her Department by each local authority in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Local Government Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the contribution of the Minister for Local Government of 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 841W, on local government, what the timetable is for the production of the forthcoming Green Paper on local government provision of social care.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government will publish a Green Paper on care and support reform in spring 2009.
	The reaction from stakeholders and the public to various key questions was tested during an engagement process from May until November 2008. The comments received then will help inform the Green Paper and a report of the findings will be published with it.

Planning Permission: Berwick-Upon-Tweed

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date it was decided that determination of the three wind farm planning appeals in the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed would be made by the Secretary of State; and when community groups with rule six status were notified of this change.

Iain Wright: The decision to link and recover these appeals for the Secretary of State's decision was made on 26 August 2008. The recovery letters are sent only to the local planning authority and the appellants, rule 6 parties were not notified. It is not normally general practice to send recovery letters to other interested parties, as the fact that the decision will be made by the Secretary of State does not affect their case in any way.

Repossession Orders

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions there were in  (a) England,  (b) the Greater London area,  (c) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (d) Uxbridge constituency in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008 to date.

Iain Wright: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Financial Services Authority. However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on this subject is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/1999
	The Financial Services Authority data is available on their website at:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/

Supporting People Programme

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much is being spent on the Supporting People initiative in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: The indicative national budget allocation for the Supporting People programme is £1.686 billion, £1.666 billion, £1.636 billion for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 financial years respectively.

Supporting People Programme

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the criteria for eligibility for assistance under the Supporting People initiative are.

Iain Wright: While the Government set the national framework for the provision of Supporting People services, administering authorities have responsibility for developing, delivering and monitoring the programme locally, based on local needs and priorities in relation to the provision of housing support, which develops and sustains an individual's capacity to live independently in their accommodation, as set out in each local authority's Supporting People five-year strategy.
	Each local authority is responsible for setting their own eligibility criteria based on local needs and priorities, which then determines who can access services that are funded from the Supporting People Grant (SPG).

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes are planned in the governance arrangements of the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Assembly from March 2009.

Sadiq Khan: The Yorkshire and Humber Assembly will cease to exist from 1 April 2009.
	The Assembly, Local Government Yorkshire and Humber and Yorkshire Forward responded positively to the Sub-National Review and took the decision to move to new streamlined governance structures by April 2009.
	From 1 April, a Joint Regional Board made up of eight LA leaders and eight Yorkshire Forward Board members will be supported by five thematic, advisory boards (Work and Skills, Transport, Planning, Regeneration and Housing and Independent/Challenge). The exact membership and remit of each board is still being worked up.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council England: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England has spent on its website in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: Arts Council England has advised that it has spent the following amounts on hosting and administrative support costs for the Arts Council England and Own Art websites as well as media streaming costs for the Arts Council England website:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 6,487.50 
			 2004-05 6,487.50 
			 2005-06 6,487.50 
			 2006-07 5,887.50 
			 2007-08 6,787.50

Arts Council England: Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many  (a) hits and  (b) unique visitors Arts Council England's website received in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many  (a) hits and  (b) unique visitors the Arts Council England's website received in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: Arts Council England has advised that its website has received the following hits and unique visitors in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Hits  Unique visitors 
			 2004 25,961,462 575,222 
			 2005 40,205,728 675,582 
			 2006 47,773,873 922,989 
			 2007 54,871,141 1,116,031 
			 2008 96,473,086 1,213,853

Casinos: Licensing

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to put into effect the conclusions of the availability to play consultation in respect of the casino licence tendering process for casino operators and local authorities.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 26 January 2009
	The consultation on 'availability to play' regulations, formerly known as the 'casino premises licence regulations' under section 172(6) of the Gambling Act 2005, has not yet taken place.
	I am considering proposals for the consultation document and the public consultation process will follow in due course.

Casinos: Newham

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the process of procuring a casino in Newham.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 26 January 2009
	In inviting and determining applications for casino premises licences, licensing authorities must comply with the statutory provisions in the Gambling Act 2005 and related secondary legislation.
	In February 2008, the Secretary of State also published a code of practice on the procedure to be followed by a licensing authority in respect of inviting and determining applications for casino premises licences. Although the Secretary of State maintains an overview of the legislative framework governing the casino premises licence process, he has not made an assessment of the process of procuring a casino licence in Newham.

Convergence Think Tank

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) total and  (b) staffing cost of the Convergence Think Tank and its seminars was.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 14 January 2009
	The estimated total cost of the Convergence Think Tank, including seminars, was £375,800, of which staff costs for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform were approximately £249,300.
	Estimated staff costs include employer's national insurance and pension contributions. The figures exclude preparatory work carried out by DCMS staff prior to the commencement of the project, as this was not recorded separately.

Cultural Heritage: Training

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of  (a) the number of trainees and  (b) training programmes for acquiring skills required for the preservation of the cultural heritage; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage undertakes an annual programme of labour market research to assess the supply of historic environment skills. Support for trainees is addressed in several ways, including: English Heritage's Professional Placements in Conservation and Historic Environment Traineeships; the Heritage Lottery Fund's investment of £7 million in training bursaries; and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's provision of £500,000 for apprenticeships.
	All of these organisations work closely with a range of bodies to tailor training initiatives to market need and are involved in a number of programmes. These include the Heritage Lottery Fund's awards of more than £446 million to over 1,300 projects that include elements of support for people to learn heritage skills. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council advises that it is working closely with stakeholders in the development of the national occupation standards for the cultural heritage sector and in the introduction of foundation degrees to support skills and learning in the cultural heritage sector.

Cultural Heritage: World War II

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the preservation of pillboxes and other defences from the Second World War; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: Pillboxes and other Second World War defences form an important aspect of England's military history. English Heritage has undertaken a series of research projects to improve our understanding of them in the context of the many other sites that represent our defence heritage. Options for preservation include statutory designation, although it would not be appropriate to designate all of the many thousands of surviving pillboxes; careful selection is necessary. Alternatively, many of these structures have local significance and their recording on historic environment records is another way of improving understanding and protection.

Culture East Midlands: Parking

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements Culture East Midlands is making for payment by its staff of the workplace parking levy to be introduced by Nottingham City Council in respect of offices located within the zone where the levy will apply.

Andy Burnham: On 2 July 2008 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced its decision to wind up the Regional Cultural Consortia. This process will have been completed well before 2010 when any workplace parking levy for Nottingham is expected to begin.

Culture: Liverpool

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much financial support the Government provided to Liverpool's Capital of Culture year; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: DCMS and Arts Council England (ACE) committed £10 million over the period 2005 to 2009 to support Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year. In addition Liverpool received a grant of £1,200,000 from the Urban Cultural programme. In 2008 DCMS and ACE contributed an additional £509,000 to support delivery of the remaining arts programme. The Northwest Regional Development Agency has provided £3.4 million since 2005-06.
	I am delighted that Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year was such a magnificent success generating an £800 million boost to the regional economy and one which leaves an exciting cultural and physical legacy.

Departmental Expenditure

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, what the status is of the funding announced by his Department's press release of 1 April 2005 and referred to in his Department's Five Year Plan as a £6 million Quality and Innovation Fund.

Barbara Follett: Money for the proposed Quality and Innovation Fund was re-allocated to other pressing priorities. However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has continued to support a range of work originally identified with the fund, including new audiences, young talent and a cultural offer for children and young people through initiatives such as Free Theatre, Creative Partnerships and Find Your Talent.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport awards special bonuses to reward staff members who have made an outstanding contribution in a particularly demanding task or situation. The following table shows the total amount paid in special bonuses in each of the last three years.
	
		
			   Total of special bonuses (£) 
			 2005-06 53,436 
			 2006-07 69,565 
			 2007-08 68,350

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much capital expenditure has been brought forward in response to the economic downturn by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies to  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; from which years such expenditure has been brought forward; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Currently no capital expenditure has been brought forward in response to the economic downturn by either the Department, its agencies or its non-departmental public bodies.

Departmental Public Service Agreements

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of his Department's progress in meeting the targets set by public service agreement 3 in the 2004 spending round; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Four out of the 20 targets that make up the overall PSA3 target have been assessed as achieved.
	We always knew these would be very challenging targets, and we remain committed to increasing participation in culture and sport across all sectors of the community. Our programme of research is helping us to better understand and address the barriers to participation. The results should help us in giving more people the opportunity to take part.

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the datasets from his Department's Taking Part survey in each year since 2005;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each year's dataset from his Department's Taking Part survey.

Barbara Follett: Data from the Taking Part survey are made available via the UK Data Archive. The 2005-06 dataset has been deposited, and the 2006-07 and 2007-08 datasets are being processed for deposit and will be uploaded shortly. To access the 2005-06 dataset, visit:
	http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/search/searchStart.asp
	and search using Study Number 5717
	There are no plans to deposit the raw data in the Library. However, all National Statistics based on the survey outputs are published on the Department's website at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/research_and_statistics/4872.aspx.

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of people responding to his Department's Taking Part survey said that they had  (a) visited a museum or gallery,  (b) visited a library,  (c) attended an arts event and  (d) visited an historic environment site event during the preceding 12 months in each year since 2005.

Barbara Follett: The 'Taking Part' survey is a continuous household survey providing national data on participation in culture, leisure and sport by adults aged 16 and over.
	The following table shows annual adult engagement with museums and galleries, libraries, arts events and historic environment sites in the 12 months prior to interview.
	
		
			  Attendance at cultural events by adults (16 and over) 
			  Percentage 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Attended a museum or gallery 42 42 44 
			 Attended a library 48 46 45 
			 Attended an arts event 67 66 67 
			 Attended an historic environment site 70 69 71 
		
	
	These figures are survey estimates. For further information about the methodology and full definitions of attendance, see the latest published annual report at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5396.aspx

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what sampling method is used for his Department's Taking Part survey.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Between 2005-06 and 2007-08 the Taking Part survey was primarily designed to yield a representative annual sample of around 28,000 adults aged 16 and over who are normally resident in England. For practical purposes, residents of institutional accommodation (armed forces barracks, student halls of residence, hospitals, care homes, prisons etc.) were excluded.
	The survey contractor used the small-user postal address file (PAF) as the sample frame. This provides a list of almost all private residential addresses in the UK and is the most comprehensive frame available. Because it lists addresses, not individuals, interviewers were required to randomly select one respondent from among those eligible.
	Primary sampling units (PSUs) were designed to be equal to postal sectors except where these contained fewer than 500 delivery points (addresses) on the small-user postal address file (PAF). These sectors were combined with their nearest neighbour to form a 'super-sector'. Before use, the list of PSUs was stratified using the following factors:
	1. Region
	2. Population density
	3. Occupational distribution
	This meant 160 strata in total. Each stratum was further sorted by the proportion of residents aged 65 plus.
	PSUs were selected with a probability proportionate to size (number of delivery points/addresses) using the method of random start and fixed interval.
	Further details on the sampling methodology for Taking Part are available in the technical report that accompanies the 2005-06 dataset, available from the UK Data Archive at
	http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/search/searchStart.asp

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average  (a) standard and  (b) probable error was in each year in which his Department has carried out its Taking Part survey.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The term 'standard error' refers to the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of a statistic—that is, it indicates how well a statistic reflects the population from which the sample was drawn. Standard errors can be calculated for individual estimates (statistics) from Taking Part, rather than the overall dataset.
	Confidence intervals are derived from the variance and the sample design, and are published for all Taking Part estimates. All survey data contain a margin of error, and the confidence intervals indicate the range in which true percentages could fall.
	To see an example, please refer to the latest report at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5653.aspx

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have responded to his Department's Taking Part survey in each year since 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following tables show the number of adults (aged 16 and over) and children (aged 11-15) that have responded to the Taking Part survey since it began:
	
		
			  Table 1: Sample size for Taking Part adult survey (aged 16 and over) 
			  Survey year  Sample size 
			 2005-06 28,117 
			 2006-07 24,174 
			 2007-08 25,720 
			  Note: Fieldwork for the main adult survey began in July 2005 and runs on a July to June cycle. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Sample size for Taking Part child survey (aged 11-15) 
			  Survey year  Sample size 
			 2006 2,918 
			 2007 2,454 
			  Note: Fieldwork for the child element began in January 2006 to and runs on a January to December cycle.

Departmental Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of people who responded to his Department's Taking Part survey said that they had attended an arts event during the preceding 12 months in each year since 2005 expressed in terms of  (a) a mean average and  (b) a median average.

Barbara Follett: The 'Taking Part' survey is a continuous household survey providing national data on participation in culture, leisure and sport by adults aged 16 and over.
	The following table shows annual adult attendance at arts events in the 12 months prior to interview. Respondents were asked whether they had attended various types of arts events in the previous year, to which they answered 'yes' or 'no'. These responses were combined to produce an overall estimate of the percentage of adults who had been to at least one event.
	The terms 'mean' and 'median' are both measures of central tendency; that is, they indicate a typical (or average) number in a set of data. A mean or median would normally be calculated from a range of numbers that can be summed and/or put in order. Variables such as attendance at arts events are classed as 'categorical' because the values that the variable can take are categories—in this case 'yes' or 'no', but other examples of categorical variables would be gender or eye colour. As these responses cannot be summed or put in any meaningful order, it is not appropriate to calculate an average.
	
		
			  Attendance at arts events by adults (16 and over) 
			   Percentage 
			 2005-06 67 
			 2006-07 66 
			 2007-08 67 
		
	
	These figures are survey estimates. For further information about the methodology and a full definition of attendance, see the latest published annual report at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5396.aspx

Departmental Training

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 16 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 657-8W, on departmental training, which organisations provided the training for the courses on  (a) team away days and  (b) stress management.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a)  Team away days
	Information relating to all organisations, who have provided training for all team away days in DCMS, referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 16 June 2008 is not fully available and a complete answer cannot be given at this time.
	 (b)  Stress Management
	Stress management training courses, referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 16 June 2008, have been provided by the following organisations for DCMS staff in the last 12 months:
	National School of Government (NSG)
	Hemsley Fraser Group Ltd.
	Reed Business Information Ltd.

English Heritage: Assets

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what non-heritage  (a) buildings and  (b) land is owned by English Heritage; and what estimate has been made of the value of those assets.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage owns one building which is not part of its historic properties portfolio. The building, Brooklands in Cambridge, which is owned freehold, was last valued during the year ending 31 March 2006 and the net realisation value was £2.46 million. English Heritage does not own any land which is not in its historic properties portfolio.

English Heritage: Visits

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free educational visits to English Heritage properties there were in each region in each year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage advises that the number of free educational visits to its properties in each region in each year since 1997 is set out in the following table. This includes visits to properties managed through Local Management Agreements.
	
		
			  Number of free educational visits to English Heritage properties 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 London 8,041 10,767 10,557 9,696 8,767 6,576 6,602 12,771 15,474 17,997 16,018 
			 West Midlands 45,511 47,447 44,059 37,194 37,756 36,461 36,296 32,190 32,199 30,820 30,043 
			 East Midlands 20,601 22,401 22,083 25,403 20,346 27,711 28,151 26,090 27,070 28,440 28,404 
			 East of England 23,221 25,513 21,038 21,917 20,203 20,417 23,708 24,554 21,651 21,556 19,243 
			 North East 56,326 53,664 49,409 44,790 31,546 38,832 36,107 33,851 32,650 31,141 29,799 
			 North West 20,649 20,128 19,545 18,849 14,477 17,677 18,569 14,522 15,780 15,269 14,923 
			 Yorkshire 68,956 63,095 59,862 68,072 55,895 58,384 64,207 53,821 54,468 49,336 44,976 
			 South East 224,801 213,889 224,573 221,692 194,428 209,808 211,616 205,520 206,483 207,538 186,882 
			 South West 66,804 66,309 62,987 65,679 58,167 62,633 71,772 72,547 80,998 76,048 76,120 
			 Total 534,910 523,213 514,113 513,292 441,585 478,499 497,028 475,866 486,773 478,145 446,408

Galleries and Museums: VAT

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many university museums and galleries reclaim value added tax under his Department's free access policy.

Barbara Follett: All university museums and galleries that reclaim VAT under my Department's free access policy are set out in SI 2001/2879—Value Added Tax (Refund of Tax to Museums and Galleries) Order 2001.

Gifts

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff in his Department have received gifts valued at £100 or higher in the course of their duties in each of the last three years; what these gifts were; and from whom they were received.

Barbara Follett: No members of the Department's staff have recorded receiving gifts valued at £100 or higher in the course of their duties during the last three years.
	The rules and guidance on receipt of gifts by civil servants are set out in the civil service management code, and in departmental staff handbooks.

Heritage Lottery Fund: Property

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what non-heritage  (a) buildings and  (b) land are leased by the Heritage Lottery Fund; and what estimate has been made of the value of these assets.

Barbara Follett: The Heritage Lottery Fund advises that it does not own any buildings or land and therefore does not lease any out. Because of this, no valuation has been conducted.

Local Press: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will meet a delegation from local newspapers in Essex to discuss the contribution of local newspapers to local society.

Barbara Follett: The contribution of the press to our society, and the current economic difficulties of newspapers—particularly at the local level—is an area being taken forward as part of the Digital Britain project. I would therefore appreciate the opportunity to hear from a delegation from local newspapers in Essex.

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council: Property

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what non-heritage  (a) buildings and  (b) land are leased by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; and what estimate has been made of the value of these assets.

Barbara Follett: The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has advised that it does not own the freehold or leasehold on any land or buildings.

Olympic Games 2012: Manpower

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of the likely effects of the London 2012 Olympics on staffing levels in his Department in the period up to 2012.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The last spending review made provision for the staffing of the Department both within the Government Olympic Executive and for Olympic-related projects elsewhere within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) up to 2010-11. This will enable Government Olympic Executive staffing of up to about 90 full-time equivalent (FTE) by 2010-11 in addition to about eight FTE employed elsewhere in DCMS. Provision for staffing in 2011-12 and beyond will be determined in the next spending review.

Sports: Manpower

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many community sports coaches there were in each year since 2002.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Community Sports Coach Scheme was initially established in April 2003, and implemented from April 2004. The headline objectives were to generate 3,000 paid professional coaches working at a local level and to increase the number and range of coaching opportunities by 2006, according to strategic and local need.
	In each year since 2004 there has been the following number of community sports coaches:
	
		
			   Coaches 
			 2004-05 859 
			 2005-06 2,978 
			 2006-07 3,335 
			 2007-08 3,063

Sports: Private Sector

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many private sector companies have joined the Medal Hopes scheme; what financial contribution each such company is making in each region to the scheme; what estimate he has made of the revenue the scheme will raise in the next three years; what targets his Department has set for scheme revenue; and what contingency arrangements his Department has made for circumstances where such targets are not met.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in December 2008 an additional £50 million of public funds would be available to UK Sport's elite programme. This consists of additional Exchequer funding of £29 million to UK Sport over the four years to 2012 plus a projected uplift in lottery income of £21 million. This means that for the London cycle the elite sport system will receive the highest level of public funding ever made available over a four-year Olympic/Paralympic cycle—an increase over the Beijing cycle and an unprecedented package of support for elite athletes.
	We are still determined that there should be a long-term investment stream in elite sport from the private sector and UK Sport is currently working with Fast Track and others towards this end, including on the proposals currently being drawn up under the Medal Hopes brand.
	Negotiations are ongoing with various potential private sector partners and to release further information regarding those negotiations at this time would prejudice commercial interests.

Sports: Young People

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of young people who cease regular participation in sport upon leaving school.

Gerry Sutcliffe: During the ages of 16 to 19, the period when young people leave school, sport participation(1) drops by 7 percentage points, (or the equivalent of 42,000 participants) from a participation rate of 37.4 per cent. at age 16, to a participation rate of 30.4 per cent. at age 19.
	(1) Participation is defined as the percentage of the adult population participating in at least 30 minutes of sport, to at least moderate intensity at least three times a week.
	
		
			  Age  Percentage  Number of participants 
			 16 37.41 251,370 
			 17 34.60 230,829 
			 18 31.14 208,625 
			 19 30.40 209,368 
			  Source:  Sport England's Active People Survey 2 (Oct 2007-Oct 2008)

St. George's Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on  (a) St. George's Day,  (b) St. Patrick's Day,  (c) St. David's Day and  (d) St. Andrew's Day celebrations in each year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport flew the St. George's Flag on 23 April in 2007 and 2008; it did not fly the flag before 2007. The cost of flying the flag is set out in the table.
	The Department has not spent anything on St. Patrick's Day, St. David's Day and St. Andrew's Day celebrations since 1997. It has ordered St. David's and St. Andrew's Flags, which it will fly on those saints' days from 2009 onwards. There is no official St. Patrick's Flag; the Union Flag is the official flag of Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Cost of flying the St. George's Flag on St. George's Day 
			   £ 
			 2007 114 
			 2008 116

St. George's Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will hold discussions with  (a) the Royal Society of St. George and  (b) Celebrate England on marking St. George's Day.

Barbara Follett: I have no plans to hold discussions with the Royal Society of St. George and Celebrate England on marking St. George's Day.

St. George's Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department plans to spend to promote St. George's Day 2009.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will promote St. George's Day by flying the St. George's flag on 23 April 2009. This will be at minimal cost.

Taking Part Survey

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the statistically significant differences between the results of his Department's most recent Taking Part survey and the previous such survey.

Barbara Follett: The Taking Part survey has been used to measure progress against the Department's SR04 PSA3 target.
	Baselines for this target were published in December 2006 using data from the first year of the survey (2005-06). The final assessment was published on 11 December 2008, and compares the baseline estimates with final estimates collected during the third year of Taking Part (2007-08). Full details of the assessment can be found at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5653.aspx

VisitBritain: Property

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what non-heritage  (a) buildings and  (b) land is owned by VisitBritain; and what estimate has been made of the value of these assets.

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain have advised that they do not own any buildings or land and as such no valuation has been conducted.

VisitBritain: Property

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what non-heritage  (a) buildings and  (b) land are leased by VisitBritain; and what estimate has been made of the value of these assets.

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain have advised that they currently lease space to two third parties in their New York office. The annual rent received is £16,407 per annum (net of VAT).
	VisitBritain also lease space to a number of partners at the Britain and London Visitor Centre in Regent Street. The total income from tenants is £356,000 per annum (net of VAT).

TREASURY

Banks: Finance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's policy on bank recapitalisation on the stability of the pound.

Ian Pearson: The recapitalisation scheme was designed to ensure the stability of the financial system and to protect ordinary savers, depositors, businesses and borrowers. The action taken by the Government in October prevented the collapse of the banking system. Flexible exchange rates fluctuate, and respond to a wide variety of factors on a minute-by-minute basis. In today's economic climate, in the face of what the IMF describe as "the most dangerous shock in mature financial markets since the 1930s", it is to be expected that the world's major currencies are prone to fluctuation.

Bradford and Bingley

Richard Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department's plans to take Bradford and Bingley into temporary public ownership were first drawn up; when he took the decision to take Bradford and Bingley into temporary public ownership; and for what reason.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury, the Financial Services Authority, and the Bank of England monitor the financial system on an ongoing basis. There are regular discussions between the FSA, the Bank and the Treasury about individual institutions and contingency planning.
	Following turbulence in global financial markets, Bradford and Bingley had found itself under increasing pressure as investors and lenders lost confidence in its ability to carry on as an independent institution. The FSA determined on 27 September 2008 that the firm no longer met its threshold conditions for operating as a deposit taker under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and FSA rules.
	The Government, on the advice of the FSA and the Bank of England, acted immediately to maintain financial stability and protect depositors, while minimising the exposure to taxpayers. It worked over the weekend to bring about the part public, part private solution which best met those objectives.

Children's Tax Credit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many awards of children's tax credit were made for 2001-02; and what estimate he has made of the number of families who were eligible for the credit in that year.

Stephen Timms: The number of families receiving children's tax credit for 2001-02 are not readily available.
	It is estimated that for the financial years 2001-02 and 2002-03, 4.6 million families were eligible for children's tax credit. However a separate estimate of eligible families for the financial year 2001-02 is not readily available.

Cox Review

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's staff provided support for the Cox Review of creativity in business.

Angela Eagle: The Cox Review of creativity in business was a DTI review, for which the Treasury provided two members of staff.

Departmental Languages

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided.

Angela Eagle: The total number of  (a) Ministers that received coaching in a foreign language in the period April 2007 to March 2008 is zero.
	The total number of  (b) civil servants that received coaching in a foreign language in the period April 2007 to March 2008 was 26. This included:
	16 French language students
	Nine Spanish language students
	One English language student
	One Japanese language student
	One Slovenian language student
	Total expenditure for this coaching was £32,460.32.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many non-pensionable bonuses have been awarded to staff in his Department in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the former Financial Secretary (John Healey) to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1879W and 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1039W.

Economic Growth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what forecast he has made of growth in the economy in each of the next 12 months.

Ian Pearson: The Government set out their latest assessment of UK economic developments and prospects in the 2008 pre-Budget report (Cm 7484). They will produce updated forecasts in the Budget as normal.

Intellectual Property Review

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's staff provided support for the Gower Review of Intellectual Property.

Angela Eagle: Andrew Gower's Review of Intellectual Property was an independent review funded by the Treasury. The number of full-time staff provided to support the review was seven, during the course of 12 months.

Manufacturing Industries: Government Assistance

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase lending to manufacturing industry through those banks he has capitalised.

Ian Pearson: On 8 October this year the Government announced a comprehensive package of measures to support stability of the financial system, protect ordinary savers, depositors, businesses and borrowers, and to safeguard the interests of the taxpayer.
	As part of their investment, the Government have agreed with the banks supported by the recapitalisation scheme a range of commitments. Details are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_105_08.htm.
	These include commitments to maintain, over the next three years, the availability and active marketing of competitively-priced lending to home owners and small businesses at 2007 levels.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 5 December 2008 on late payment of tax, reference 1/64635/2008.

Angela Eagle: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Non-domestic Rates: Sports

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of community amateur sports clubs in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales received relief from national non-domestic rate liability at 100 per cent. in 2007-08.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available.
	By the end of 2008, over 5000 community amateur sports clubs were registered with HMRC, and entitled to receive 80 per cent. rates relief. It is not known, however, how many have taken up this relief, nor how many of these have received the additional 2 per cent. relief which local authorities have discretion to provide. There is no readily available breakdown of the clubs between the nations of the UK.
	HMRC do have data on the number of payments that exceeded the £30,000 threshold and were reported through self-assessment for 2006-07—the most recent year available. They are set out in Table 1.
	The limited information we have on payments below £30,000 suggests that a large majority of payments are covered by the tax-free threshold.
	
		
			  Table 1:  N umber of termination payments over £30,000 that were reported via self assessment in 2006-07 
			   Number of payments 
			 Total SA 8,000 
			 England 7,000 
			 South East 2,000 
			  Note: Figures rounded to the nearest thousand

Public Expenditure: Ministry of Defence

Liam Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to paragraph B75 of the pre-Budget report, Cm 7484, what the reasons were for the reclassification of £1.4 billion of Ministry of Defence expenditure in financial year 2007-08 from current to capital expenditure.

Yvette Cooper: Net investment by the Ministry of Defence in 2007-08 was revised up by £1.2 billion following the Budget 2008 forecast. Most of this adjustment related to a revision of the treatment of certain capital spending which had previously been regarded as solely for military use and therefore considered as current spending for national accounts purposes.

Redundancy Pay

Howard Stoate: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) mean and  (b) mode redundancy payment was in (i) England and (ii) the South East in each of the last five years; and how many and what proportion of redundancy payments have been above the tax free threshold of £30,000 since the threshold was set at that level.

Stephen Timms: This specific tax exemption applies to redundancy payments and some other forms of termination payment. Where a payment of this kind is not exempt, HMRC collects the tax due through self-assessment and PAYE.
	However, only information about non-exempt payments via self-assessments is recorded. HMRC therefore does not have comprehensive data on payments below the £30,000 threshold or what proportion relate to redundancy payments.

Welfare Tax Credits: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many individuals in Peterborough constituency have been overpaid tax credits  (a) once,  (b) twice and  (c) three or more times since 1 April 2005; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many individuals in Peterborough constituency have been underpaid tax credits  (a) once,  (b) twice and  (c) three or more times since 1 April 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Child and working tax credits were not introduced until April 2003. The information requested is not available. However the following table provides a snapshot of information on the number of families in the Peterborough constituency with one, two and three or more underpayments or overpayments of tax credits between 2003-04 and 2006-07. This is based on families who had a 2006-07 tax credit award and lived in Peterborough as at 31 August 2006.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Regularity with which overpayment or underpayment of tax credits occurred  Number of awards underpaid  Number of awards overpaid 
			  (a) Once 4.4 3.9 
			  (b) Twice 1.0 1.9 
			  (c) Three or more times 0.2 0.7

JUSTICE

Care Proceedings: Children

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many child care proceedings have been heard in courts in each court district in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: Information on the number of care and supervision orders made in each area for county and high courts in England and Wales for 2004 to 2007, and in each region for family proceedings courts in England and Wales for 2007, is shown in the following table.
	Data on this basis are available from 2004 onwards and are not yet available for 2008.
	Annual figures on matters affecting children under the Children Act 1989 are published in Judicial and Court Statistics, available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/judiciallandcourtstatistics.htm
	
		
			  Number of public law care and supervision orders made( 1)  in family proceedings courts( 2)  and county and high courts in England and Wales 
			County/high courts  Family proceedings courts 
			  Region  Area  2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  London region London 913 838 981 876 
			 London region total  913 838 981 876 n/a n/a n/a 600 
			   
			  Midlands region Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire 375 337 432 317 
			  Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 345 386 366 370 
			  Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 240 220 141 155 
			  Lincolnshire. Leicestershire and Rutland and Northamptonshire 199 215 158 137 
			 Midlands region total  1,159 1,158 1,097 979 n/a n/a n/a 600 
			   
			  North-east region Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 369 403 303 347 
			  Humber and South Yorkshire 443 489 559 611 
			  North and West Yorkshire 516 427 484 550 
			 North-east region total  1,328 1,319 1,346 1,508 n/a n/a n/a 800 
			   
			  North-west region Cheshire and Merseyside 330 396 393 466 
			  Cumbria and Lancashire 316 258 342 327 
			  Greater Manchester 689 597 714 736 
			 North-west region total  1,335 1,251 1,449 1,529 n/a n/a n/a 400 
			   
			  South-east region Bedfordshire, Essex and Herts 319 298 342 307 
			  Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 219 273 339 306 
			  Kent 176 136 165 179 
			  Surrey and Sussex 302 272 253 292 
			  Thames Valley 269 166 164 133 
			 South-east region total  1,285 1,145 1,263 1,217 n/a n/a n/a 700 
			   
			  South-west region Avon and Somerset 199 178 163 180 
			  Devon and Cornwall 225 229 171 192 
			  Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 126 111 152 90 
			  Hampshire and Isle of Wight 176 143 162 174 
			 South-west region total  726 661 648 636 n/a n/a n/a 400 
			   
			  Wales region Mid and West Wales 82 113 109 100 
			  North Wales 106 84 92 167 
			  South-east Wales 270 304 262 239 
			 Wales region total  458 501 463 506 n/a n/a n/a 300 
			 Grand total  7,204 6,873 7,247 7,2513,700 
			 (1) Counted by child. (2) There have been data quality issues with figures for family proceedings courts (FPCs) in the past. A new method of collection was introduced in April 2007 which has improved the coverage and completeness of data. Figures for FPCs are available at a regional level and have been rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: HMCS FamilyMan; Manual Returns.

Cemeteries

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on ensuring that lack of out-of-hours service for burials or cremations does not prevent prompt burials or cremations required for religious purposes, with particular reference to periods of closure of services; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Guidance published in 2006 encouraged burial ground managers to explore the local demand for out-of-hours working, especially where required for religious reasons, and to ensure that every effort was made to deal with individual applications.
	We have not issued similar guidance to cremation authorities but understand from their representative bodies that authorities will provide for religious and cultural requirements wherever possible. Each authority should have local arrangements in place to cater for the needs of their particular community. We will, however, consult the representative bodies and members of our faith forum on whether it would be helpful to issue general guidance on this issue.

Courts: Fees and Charges

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of child care proceedings of the recent rise in court fees.

Bridget Prentice: Our assessment is that the new court fees have had no effect on local authorities fulfilling their statutory obligations to protect children at risk. There was a reduction in the number of applications for care orders issued by local authorities following introduction of the new statutory guidance to local authorities and Public Law Outline introduced on 1 April 2008, a month before the new fees were implemented. Since the initial drop in April and May 08, volumes have been increasing. We will continue to monitor the number of applications being issued.

Cremation

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has considered legalising the process of promession for the disposal of human remains; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: We are aware that there is some interest in the disposal of bodies by promession, as an alternative to cremation. The process does not involve the burning of human remains, however, so falls outside the Cremation Act 1902. Making it lawful would thus need either a new Act or an amendment to the 1902 Act. There are no plans to amend the law at present.

Debt Collection

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the use by bailiffs of powers under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, provided bailiffs with powers of search and forced entry to premises when executing warrants to recover fines.
	The contracts Her Majesty's Courts Service have with private bailiff companies requires these companies to report monthly on the use of search and forced entry powers to Her Majesty's Courts Service.
	The report provides details on the execution rate of warrants, training undertaken by contractor staff and any complaints received by the contractor on action taken by their staff. A component of the report requires contractors to provide the number of warrants where search and entry was used under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004.
	Additionally, a complaints section of the report records any complaints received by the contractor from defaulters on the use of forced entry. Specific entries include alleged damage to property, threats of violence and actual violence. The use of search and entry and its application would be detailed in these sections of the report.

Debt Collection

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to release the redacted parts of magistrates' court guidance to bailiffs on procedures for breaking in to properties as a last resort.

Bridget Prentice: The Information Commissioner agreed with the proposed redactions when the guidance was first released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on 9 December 2008 and the Government have no plans to release the redacted parts.

Departmental Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 169W, on departmental databases, which policy areas the ACORN data have been used to inform.

Shahid Malik: ACORN data have been used by Ministry of Justice staff in analysis related to the means testing of criminal legal aid in the magistrates courts, and to the potential recovery of some criminal defence costs from defendants in the Crown court.

Departmental Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008; and how much was spent on such bonuses in each of those years.

Jack Straw: End of year bonus payments in the Ministry of Justice have been paid to high performing staff to reflect their individual contribution during the previous performance year.
	For members of the senior civil service, bonuses have been allocated by the Departmental Pay Committees in accordance with guidelines issued by Cabinet Office each year following Senior Salaries Review Body recommendations. Within the overall policy agreed across Government, Ministers are not involved in anyway in the determination of bonuses to individual civil servants.
	As pay determination is retrospective, 2008 was the first year in which the Ministry of Justice paid awards to SCS staff following the creation of the Ministry in 2007. In 2008, 159 bonuses were paid to members of the senior civil service in the Ministry of Justice at a total cost of £1,648,000.
	In 2007, pay determination was undertaken by the Departments that existed prior to the creation of the Ministry. For the former Department of Constitutional Affairs, 116 bonuses were paid to members of the senior civil service at a cost of £866,500. Staff from the Home Office who transferred to the Ministry of Justice upon its creation in May 2007 will be included in the answer provided by the Home Office.

Departmental Telephone Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what use  (a) his Department and  (b) service providers under contract to his Department make of (i) 0844 and 0845 telephone numbers and (ii) revenue-sharing telephone numbers for calls from members of the public; for which services such numbers are used; what prefixes are used for revenue-sharing numbers; how much revenue has accrued from revenue-sharing numbers in each of the last five years; what consideration his Department has given to introducing 03-prefixed telephone numbers for calls to all such services; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: From the central records available, the following information is provided.
	The Land Registry use fourteen 0844 telephone numbers for public access to their services. The Land Registry no longer operate revenue sharing numbers and since February 2008 customers are charged only the local call rate from land lines for using the 0844 numbers. However, calls from mobile phones may cost more as the Department cannot control charges levied by individual service providers to their customers.
	Details of the revenue generated to Land Registry in earlier years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 247,467 
			 2006-07 221,543 
			 2007-08 164,787 
			 April to June 2008 (1)40,026 
			 (1) This is a rebate figure from previous service providers which has been paid into this year's financial accounts. 
		
	
	In addition, the Department, and its service providers, but excluding Land Registry, operate forty-nine 0845 numbers to provide a range of services to the public, including customer service enquiries and IT online support. Eighteen of these numbers, which are used by Her Majesty's Courts Service Bulk Payment Centre, have generated some revenue. At the time the numbers were introduced, calls from anywhere in the UK were charged at a local rate, making it no more expensive for people to access the service using the 0845 rather than the exchange number. The Centre now publish alternative numbers on their web pages giving customers a choice, as depending on the enquirer's call plan, 0845 may not now be the cheapest option. Details of income generated from these 0845 numbers is available for the last four years, and is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2004-05 745.91 
			 2005-06 6543.76 
			 2006-07 7684.14 
			 2007-08 8075.97 
		
	
	Revenue sharing 0870 numbers have also been used for recruitment campaigns. However, it has been decided that these numbers will no longer be included in campaign advertising, and they are expected to be discontinued shortly when a new system is introduced. The income generated from these numbers, since their introduction in February 2004, is £25,503.69. There is no annual breakdown available.
	03 prefix telephone numbers are charged in the same fashion as 01 and 02 prefix numbers, but the call receiver does not receive revenue sharing. The Department, and its service providers, are considering switching to 03 prefix numbers.

Driving Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) males and  (b) females aged (i) 17 to 24, (ii) 25 to 30, (iii) 31 to 35, (iv) 36 to 40 and (v) over 40 years old were (A) prosecuted and (B) convicted for stopping in a box junction in (1) the Essex Police area, (2) the Metropolitan Police area and (3) England and Wales in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how much revenue has been raised from penalties issued for stopping in a box junction in  (a) the Essex Police area,  (b) the Metropolitan Police area and  (c) England and Wales in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The offence of 'contravening a box junction', under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, can be dealt with by way of court proceedings or the issuing of a fixed penalty notice.
	Centrally collected data held on the Ministry of Justice court proceedings database, and by the Home Office on fixed penalty notices (FPNs), do not separately identify the number of prosecutions, convictions, or FPNs issued for the offence of 'contravening a box junction' from other offences of neglect of traffic directions.

Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 60W, on economic and monetary union, what the timetable for his Department's updating of its euro changeover plan is.

Shahid Malik: The former DCA had a detailed euro changeover plan in place by the end of 2004 and this was last revised in 2006.
	Plans for the former Home Office activities (prisons and probation services; Office for Criminal Justice Reform), which transferred to the newly created Ministry of Justice in 2007, were included in the Home Office Plan.
	There are no plans to place a copy of the MOJ plans in the Library.

Information Commissioner

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many times the Information Commissioner's Office  (a) has been requested to intervene and  (b) has taken further action when a data controller has not met the 40-day deadline on a subject access request in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  what sanctions the Information Commissioner's Office can impose when a data controller does not met the 40-day deadline for a subject access request;
	(3)  what guidance the Information Commissioner's Office provides to data controllers who are unable to meet the 40-day deadline for a subject access request;
	(4)  what representations he has received from members of the public who have been affected by a data controller's inability to meet the 40-day deadline for a subject access request under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Michael Wills: The following table shows the number of requests received by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to intervene in connection with complaints about subject access requests that had allegedly not been completed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). It is not possible to separate out those cases where the reason for the request to intervene was as a direct result of failure to comply with the 40-day timescale for response.
	
		
			  Month  Number of requests to intervene (subject access) 
			 January 2008 476 
			 February 2008 406 
			 March 2008 367 
			 April 2008 328 
			 May 2008 244 
			 June 2008 298 
			 July 2008 327 
			 August 2008 273 
			 September 2008 265 
			 October 2008 507 
			 November 2008 411 
			 December 2008 293 
		
	
	If a data controller does not meet the 40-day deadline, the ICO can serve an Enforcement Notice under section 40 of the DPA. An Enforcement Notice requires a data controller to take the action specified in that notice to ensure full compliance with the DPA. Non-compliance with an Enforcement Notice is a criminal offence.
	The DPA also provides the right to private redress and compensation through the court system for damage and/or distress caused as a result of non-compliance with any requirement of the DPA.
	The advice offered by the ICO to data controllers unable to meet the 40-day deadline for a subject access request will depend on the reason for a data controller's breach of the DPA.
	Common advice offered may include providing better training for employees; devoting greater resource to a data controller's DPA responsibilities; and contacting the ICO for advice earlier in the process if there is uncertainty about how to respond to a request concerning the DPA.
	The ICO also produces and maintains good practice guidance on compliance with subject access requests. These good practice guidance notes are available on the ICO's website and via its customer service help-line.
	The Ministry does not hold a central record of the representations it has received concerning failure to comply with the 40-day deadline for subject access requests.

Life Imprisonment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners whose minimum terms have been completed are serving automatic life sentences pursuant to section 109 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000  (a) in its original form and  (b) as subsequently amended by the provisions of chapter 5 of Part 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003; and for what offences each such prisoner was convicted.

Jack Straw: The provisions for automatic life sentences for a second serious offence were introduced under the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 and came into force on 1 October 1997. The provisions were consolidated in section 109 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000. 615 prisoners sentenced under these provisions are recorded as having completed their minimum term.
	The following table gives a breakdown of the offences committed.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Robbery 75 
			 Unlawful Sexual Intercourse 1 
			 Aggravated Burglary 3 
			 Armed Robbery 1 
			 Arson 7 
			 Assault 3 
			 Attempted Murder 18 
			 Attempted Rape 19 
			 Attempt to Pervert Justice 1 
			 Attempted Burglary 1 
			 Attempted Robbery 2 
			 Buggery 5 
			 Burglary 2 
			 Conspiracy to Commit Robbery 4 
			 Conspiracy to Commit Murder 4 
			 Conspiracy to Supply Drugs 1 
			 False Imprisonment 5 
			 Other Sexual Offences 1 
			 Other Offences 4 
			 GBH 97 
			 Kidnapping 7 
			 Manslaughter 23 
			 Possession of a Weapon 1 
			 Possession of a Firearm 68 
			 Rape 105 
			 Wounding 156 
			 Sexual Assault 1 
		
	
	The automatic life sentence was repealed and replaced by the indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection for offences committed on or after 4 April 2005.
	This figure comes from the NOMS public protection unit database. As with any large scale recording system, it is subject to possible errors arising from either data entry or processing.

Magistrates: Standards

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to monitor the level of compliance of  (a) magistrates,  (b) HM Courts Service fines officers and  (c) bailiff companies with the national standards for enforcement agents on vulnerable situations.

Bridget Prentice: The National Standards for Enforcement Agents are intended for use by enforcement agents rather than magistrates or Her Majesty's Courts Service fines officers. However both magistrates and Her Majesty's Courts Service fines officers routinely consider the circumstances of defendants and defaulters as part of their decision-making process. Where issues of vulnerability are made known to them, these will be taken into account.
	Her Majesty's Court Service contracts place a specific obligation on its private enforcement agents in respect of vulnerable members of society. This requires them to adhere to and implement these standards while engaged on enforcement activities on behalf of Her Majesty's Courts Service. They are instructed not to take any action to levy distress without prior reference to the court where the individual falls into one of categories deemed as vulnerable. Complaints by members of the public about the conduct of the contractor must be reported to Her Majesty's Courts Service regional contract managers, together with details of how those complaints have been dealt with and resolved. These are reviewed as part of the contract management process.
	The contract requires AEAs to provide a monthly management report to HMCS regional contractor managers on contractor performance. The report provides details on the execution rate of warrants, training undertaken by contractor staff and any complaints received by the contractor on action taken by their staff. Contractors must report any circumstances and situations where a complaint or issue is raised by defaulters who consider the enforcement of the warrant has been undertaken inappropriately or incorrectly. These will include any situations involving those in the vulnerable person categories., Any complaints or correspondence received by contractors must be investigated. In addition Her Majesty's Court Service regional management will investigate the complaint to determine that the bailiff took the correct action or if the situation requires further investigation.
	Further reporting protocols in new proposed contracts will strengthen the control and monitoring arrangements available to HMCS on contractor performance. This includes quarterly and six-month assurance reporting. There is also a requirement for each contractor to make an annual operation report reviewing their management of the contract. Combined, these reports form the basis for the HMCS Director of Enforcement to make an annual report covering the operation of all regional contracts.
	The reports received as the six month and yearly stages of the contract would be reviewed and reported on to the HMCS Compliance and Enforcement and main HMCS Management Boards as part of this report. It is expected that the contractor will detail its procedures and processes and the agreed authorisation methods with each HMCS region and area within these reporting requirements.

Members: Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's correspondence of 16 October and 4 December 2008 with regard to his constituent, Mr Terry Cooper.

Bridget Prentice: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
	 I apologise for the delay in responding.

Offenders: Learning Disability

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the merits of  (a) community-based offender management programmes and  (b) substance misuse programmes developed for use with offenders with (i) learning difficulties and (ii) learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Offending behaviour and substance misuse programmes can meet a broad range of offender needs and are successful in reducing reoffending. Reasonable adjustments are made to ensure programmes are accessible to all those who could potentially benefit. Participation will depend on the assessment and degree of capability. Further work may be possible to prepare an individual; however, there will be some offenders who are unable to participate due to the intensive nature and cognitive focus of the programmes. If a programme is not suitable then one to one work may be considered. If an individual is still unsuitable then other interventions or activities will be considered to meet their needs, including a range of less intensive drug treatment options.

Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many members of his Department's staff are employed in the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Jack Straw: The Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) has 265 full-time equivalent staff currently in post and a headcount of 312. OCJR reports trilaterally to the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General's Office and is hosted as an organisation by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). Most of its staff are employed by the MOJ, with 11 staff seconded or on loan from other Government Departments or organisations, (including one from the Home Office), and 20 people from other organisations. This reflects the position as at 15 January 2009.

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Shahid Malik: The information requested is shown in the following tables. They outline the number of owned and leased cars used by the Ministry of Justice, including the number of cars hired within the course of the last year.
	
		
			  Vehicles owned 
			   Cars 
			   1000 to 1400 cc  1401 to 1700 cc  1701 to2200 cc 
			 Prison Service 2 49 329 
			 MOJ/Access to Justice 40 58 67 
		
	
	
		
			  Vehicles  leased 
			   Cars 
			   1000 to 1400 cc  1401 to 1700 cc  1701 to2200 cc 
			 Prison Service — — 35 
			 MOJ/Access to Justice 74 262 245 
		
	
	
		
			  Vehicles  hired 
			   Cars 
			   1000 to 1400 cc  1401 to 1700 cc  1701 to2200 cc 
			 Prison Service 48 45 119 
			 MOJ/Access to Justice 1,276 782 564 
		
	
	The level of usage of hired cars is necessitated by the size and structure of the Ministry of Justice. The decision to hire cars is taken locally by operational managers when faced with finding the most cost-effective means of delivering the Department and its agencies business.
	Operational considerations within HMPS often require the movement of staff, equipment and prisoners over long distances. Vehicle specification has to take into account the need to accommodate both prisoners and escorts in the rear compartment, without discomfort. For this reason medium sized cars with diesel engines with a cubic capacity of 1701 to 2200 cc are frequently specified for pool and official use, including hire.

Parole Board: Referrals

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many referrals to the Parole Board took place after the due date in each of the last five years; and what proportion of referrals were such late referrals in each of those years.

Shahid Malik: There is no single data collection system which can provide this information at the present time. Using the different systems in place which does record this information, we are able to collect most of the data requested. Once this work is completed, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of both Houses.

Political Impartiality

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 948-9W, on Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2008, what the nature of the offence was that resulted in the individual being referred to a youth offender panel for a breach of the Act.

Jack Straw: The data to which the hon. Member refers show that between 2000 and 2006 two people were referred to youth offender panels for offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
	The information held centrally by the Department does not identify which specific offences under PPERA were involved.

Prisoners: Speech Therapy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many speech and language therapists have been employed in each  (a) prison and  (b) young offender institution in each year since 2000.

Shahid Malik: There is no central information available on the number of language therapists engaged in the Prison Service. To gather the information would entail scrutinising a large number of individual records, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Public Consultation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what procedures he plans to adopt to ensure that public consultations on the location of proposed Titan prison facilities result in an accurate reflection of public views on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Once sites have been identified, we intend to follow the normal planning route and will make an application for planning permission to the appropriate local planning authority.
	Before we submit any planning application, Department officials will hold pre-application consultations with planning officers, local councillors and other interested parties on the detail of the proposed prison development in the usual way. This will include a public exhibition to explain the proposals and give local people the opportunity to comment.

Repossessions: Cambridgeshire

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in South East Cambridgeshire constituency for each of the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: Although figures for the South East Cambridgeshire constituency are not available, the following table shows the number of mortgage and landlord possession orders made in Cambridge county court from October 2007 to September 2008.
	The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, Cambridge county court covers areas other than South East Cambridgeshire and therefore not all possession actions at this court relate to this constituency.
	Figures from October 2008 are yet to be released by the Ministry of Justice as National Statistics on 20 February 2009.
	Court level statistics on mortgage and landlord repossession actions from 1987 to 2007 are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/mortgatelandlordpossession.htm.
	These figures do not indicate how many homes have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order being made, while not all court orders result in repossession.
	
		
			  Mortgage( 1)  and landlord( 2)  possession orders made( 3, 4)  in Cambridge county court, October 2007 to September 2008 
			   Cambridge 
			   Mortgage possession  Landlord possession( 5) 
			 October 2007 31 56 
			 November 2007 45 91 
			 December 2007 21 69 
			 January 2008 39 66 
			 February 2008 25 81 
			 March 2008 36 65 
			 April 2008 32 57 
			 May 2008 72 50 
			 June 2008 37 56 
			 July 2008(6) 44 71 
			 August 2008(6) 23 41 
			 September 2008(6) 39 74 
			 (1) Mortgage possession data include all types of lenders whether local authority or private. (2 )Landlord possession data include all types of landlord whether social or private. (3 )Includes outright and suspended orders, the later being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (4 )The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (5 )Includes landlord orders made through both standard and accelerated procedures. Landlord actions via the accelerated procedure enables the orders to be made solely on the basis of written evidence and shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. (6 )Provisional figures.  Source:  Ministry of Justice

Residence Orders: Applications

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for residence orders have been applied for by extended family members since 1 April 2008.

Bridget Prentice: Figures on the number of applications, counted by child, by the applicant relationship to the child for private law residence orders since 1 April 2008 in county and high courts in England and Wales are given in the following table. Public law applications (few in number) are not included. Figures for family proceedings courts are also not provided as comprehensive information on applicant relationships is not available. Please note that the figures are provisional.
	In 1,080 of 25,064 applications there was more than one applicant relationship specified for the application. This could happen for a number of reasons. It could be that the applicant has a different relationship with each of the children in the case, that the application is made by more than one person or there may be counter applications made by two or more people. Where this happens the application will be counted more than once within the total of 26,261 applicant relationships.
	
		
			  Applications made, counted by child, 1 April 2008 to 30 November 2008 
			   Applications 
			 Father 11,231 
			 Mother 10,828 
			 Grandparent 2,744 
			 Stepfather 116 
			 Stepmother 118 
			 Special Guardian 13 
			 Other 1,211 
			 Total applicant-to-child relationship 26,261 
			   
			 Total applications 25,064 
			  Notes: 1. The data are taken from the HMCS FamilyMan system. 2. In 792 cases of 25,064 applications there were applications made in two different months. This may be because the case was transferred or because a second applicant made a counter application in a later month. Where this occurs the application will be counted twice within the 25,064 total. 3. The figures include transfers from other courts.

Suicide: Prosecutions

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the implementation of the Government's proposed amendments to the Suicide Act 1961 contained in the Coroners and Justice Bill on the number of prosecutions of people who  (a) encourage suicide and  (b) assist the suicide of a mentally competent terminally ill adult who travels abroad to have an assisted death in a jurisdiction where it is legal.

Maria Eagle: The decision to prosecute in individual cases for an offence under the Suicide Act 1961 is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. The proposed amendments to the Suicide Act will simplify and modernise the law in this area. They will not make liable to prosecution anyone who was not liable before.

Television: Licensing

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of prosecuting suspected television licence fee evaders was in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 20 January 2009
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Ministry of Justice has informed me that the estimated cost to Her Majesty's Courts Service based on the estimated time TV licence cases take to be heard in the magistrates court is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003 923,320 
			 2004 1,046,611 
			 2005 1,209,116 
			 2006 1,279,612 
			 2007 1,333,892 
		
	
	The BBC is independent of Government and prosecutions are a matter for TV Licensing, which is a trading name used by companies contracted by the BBC to administer the collection of television licence fees and enforcement of the television licensing system. Details of the prosecutor's costs are not gathered or held by my Department.

Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to make regulations under the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 in relation to the use of force by bailiffs.

Bridget Prentice: The enforcement provisions in the Tribunals, Court and Enforcement Act 2007 are far reaching reforms. The provisions have recently undergone a comprehensive reassessment by Ministers to ensure that they remain appropriate. This assessment has now been concluded and a statement will be made shortly.

Young Offenders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many young offenders held on the prison estate completed the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme at  (a) bronze,  (b) silver and  (c) gold level in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many young offenders at Feltham Young Offender Institution completed the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme at  (a) bronze,  (b) silver and  (c) gold level in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many young offenders at Portland Young Offender Institution completed the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme at  (a) bronze,  (b) silver and  (c) gold level in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many young offenders at Glen Parva Young Offender Institution completed the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme at  (a) bronze,  (b) silver and  (c) gold level in each of the last five years;
	(5)  how many young offenders at Aylesbury Young Offender Institution completed the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme at  (a) bronze,  (b) silver and  (c) gold level in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Information provided by the establishments, which is not collected centrally, is that set out in the following table. All the awards in the table are at bronze level.
	
		
			   Feltham  Portland( 1)  Glen Parva  Aylesbury 
			 2005 0 0 0 2 
			 2006 0 0 0 8 
			 2007 0 0 0 8 
			 2008 1 0 0 2 
			 2009 1 0 0 0 
			 (1) Portland have enrolled six prisoners this year to undertake bronze level. 
		
	
	The information on the rest of the young offender estate is being collated and I will write to the hon. Member when this is complete.

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government has taken to reduce re-offending among juvenile offenders.

David Hanson: I refer my hon. Friend to my response of 22 January 2009,  Official  R eport , column 1614W.
	There has been an 18.7 per cent. reduction in the frequency rate of youth reoffending between 2000 and 2006. The Youth Crime Action Plan, published in July 2008 details the cross Government approach to reducing youth crime, including youth reoffending. It sets out a 'triple track' approach of enforcement and punishment where behaviour is unacceptable, non-negotiable support and challenge where it is most needed, and better and earlier prevention. The Youth Justice Board leads on the target of a 10 per cent. reduction by 2011 of the frequency rate of youth reoffending against the 2005 baseline, and is working, with Departments, to influence the key services to ensure young people have access to mainstream, and specialist services before, during and after justice.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Pensioner Poverty

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what estimate she has made of respective levels of poverty among female and male pensioners.

Maria Eagle: Through targeted support, and over £13 billion extra funding, the proportion of pensioners in relative low income has fallen by around a third from 29 per cent. in 1998-99 to 19 per cent. in 2006-07. Over this period the proportion of male pensioners in relative low income has fallen from 26 per cent. to 17 per cent. and the proportion of female pensioners from 30 per cent. to 20 per cent.

Violence Against Women

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether she plans to meet the Secretary of State for the Home Department to discuss a cross-Government strategy to tackle violence against women.

Maria Eagle: The Home Secretary confirmed to the Home Affairs Select Committee that the Government have accepted its recommendation to adopt a cross-government violence against women strategy on 13 November 2008.
	A consultation on violence against women and women's safety will be launched later this year. Feedback from the public and stakeholders will be used to inform the strategy. This Government are proud of their achievements in dealing with violence against women, but we are not complacent—which is why we want to ask people about what more we should be doing to tackle violence against women.

Equality Bill

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the effect on businesses of proposals in the forthcoming Equality Bill; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Bill will help business by simplifying and harmonising discrimination law. This will make it easier for employers and employees to know their rights and responsibilities through clearer and simpler guidance. We continue to refine our impact estimates, working with stakeholders including business. Their views will be reflected when we publish the impact assessment that accompanies the Equality Bill.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia: Detainees

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Colombian Government on the extradition of Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 26 January 2009
	 None.

Colombia: Political Prisoners

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Colombian Government on political prisoners being held for long periods in Colombian jails without having been convicted of any crime.

Gillian Merron: With the Colombian authorities in London and through our embassy in Bogota we have raised specific cases of concern of people who have been detained for long periods without trial on the charge of rebellion.
	We are aware of serious allegations that people in Colombia are being imprisoned or charged with offences because of their political views or activities, and held for long periods.
	It is for the Colombian judicial system to assess any such cases, including exercise of the right of habeas corpus. We are working to facilitate improvements in the Colombian criminal justice system by supporting a project with prominent civil society organisations and the UN development programme.

Community Relations: Religion

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which places in the UK he visited in 2008 in connection with the Government's Preventing Violent Extremism strategy; on what dates he undertook the visits; what the estimated cost of such visits was for 2008; which towns or cities in the UK he plans to visit in 2009 in connection with Preventing Violent Extremism; what the cost is expected to be; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: During 2008 my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited the following areas:
	28 May, Tower Hamlets;
	25 July, Birmingham;
	8 September, Birmingham;
	21 November, Bradford.
	The cost of these visits was £24,802.78
	In January the Foreign Secretary will visit Manchester. Further visits are being planned.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East, of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 220W, on departmental public relations, which firm provided the secondment; and to which division in his Department the secondee was assigned.

Gillian Merron: The member of staff referred to is seconded from Ofcom to the Communications Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East, of 13 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1406W, on departmental public relations, to which external public relations and public affairs firms departmental staff are currently on secondment; and what the  (a) purpose and  (b) duration is of each secondment.

Gillian Merron: Of the seven Foreign and Commonwealth Office members of staff referred to in the previous answer, six remain on secondment to the organisations and positions listed below for the periods indicated.
	Programme Director, Wilton Park: August 2007 - February 2009
	Growth Manager, Think London Ltd: August 2007 - February 2009
	Business Director, Africa Matters Ltd: June 2005 - June 2009
	Director Construction and Asia Pacific, British Expertise: June 2005 - March 2009
	Senior Partner, International, at Ofcom: June 2008 - February 2009
	Director Trade and Government Relations, The Middle East Association: October 2006 - October 2009

Eritrea: Djibouti

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to resolve the disputes between Eritrea and Djibouti.

Gillian Merron: Since June 2008, when the current border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti arose, we have lobbied both in the UN and Eritrea and Djibouti bilaterally to seek to resolve their dispute peacefully through dialogue.
	We supported the UN Security Council (UNSC) presidential statement of 12 June 2008 condemning Eritrea's incursion and urging both sides to show maximum restraint.
	During a visit to the region in June, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Counter Terrorism and Immigration, (Mr. McNulty) discussed the issue with President Guelleh of Djibouti and Foreign Minister Mahamud Ali Youssouf. On his return to the UK, the Minister also met with the Eritrean ambassador to express his concern over the dispute urging both parties to seek a peaceful resolution. In December my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, also met the Eritrean ambassador to discuss this. Foreign and Commonwealth officials have raised their concerns with the Eritrean ambassador in London and their interlocutors in Djibouti and Asmara.
	We supported the UN Security Council 1862, adopted on 14 January 2009, which urged Djibouti and Eritrea to resolve their border dispute peacefully, quickly and in a manner consistent with international law.

Iran

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on recent incidences of  (a) stonings,  (b) public executions,  (c) torture of political and other prisoners and  (d) other human rights violations in Iran.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with EU counterparts on human rights issues in Iran. However, regular discussions take place at official level, and the EU fully shares the UK's concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, as can be seen by the large number of EU representations and declarations on this issue. The most recent EU declaration, made on 13 January 2009, condemned the stonings which took place in Mashhad on 21 December 2008, and urged the Iranian authorities to end the practice of execution by stoning and remove stoning from the Iranian penal code. On 19 December 2008, the EU made a declaration expressing concern about a mass execution on 26 November 2008, pressure on women's rights activists including Esha Momeni, and the situations of Hussein Derakhshan, an Iranian blogger, and the trade unionist Mansour Ossanlou.

Iran

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on recent instances of  (a) stoning,  (b) public executions,  (c) torture of political and other prisoners and  (d) other human rights violations in Iran.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not met or spoken with his Iranian counterpart since April 2008, and last met the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister in September 2008.
	In September 2008, the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign Office raised the issue of the death penalty, including juvenile executions, with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister. On 20 November 2008 I met the Iranian ambassador, and raised our concerns about human rights issues including the death penalty, the continued execution of juveniles, and the draft penal code, which would impose a mandatory death sentence for apostasy. I followed up this meeting by writing to the Iranian ambassador on 5 December 2008 giving details of our concern about juvenile executions. The Iranian ambassador replied denying that any juvenile executions have taken place in Iran since the head of the judiciary issued a decree against the practice in early October 2008. However, we have heard reports of two juvenile executions since the decree—on 29 October 2008 and 30 December 2008.
	The UK made 40 representations to the Iranian authorities about human rights in 2008, bilaterally and through the EU. The most recent EU declaration, made on 13 January 2009, condemned the stonings which took place in Mashhad on 21 December 2008, and urged the Iranian authorities to end the practice of execution by stoning and remove stoning from the Iranian penal code. On 19 December 2008, the EU made a declaration expressing concern about a mass execution on 26 November 2008, pressure on women's rights activists including Esha Momeni, and the situations of Hussein Derakhshan, an Iranian blogger, and the trade unionist Mansour Ossanlou.

Israel: EU External Trade

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the human rights sub-committee set up under the EU-Israel Trade Association Agreement is next due to meet; and if he will request a special meeting of the sub-committee to consider Israel's recent human rights record in Gaza.

Bill Rammell: The proposed human rights sub-committee is part of a package of measures to be encompassed in next EU-Israel European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan which has not yet been finalised. There are therefore no immediate plans for a meeting.
	The EU has raised its concerns relating to the situation in Gaza at the highest level with the Government of Israel.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the relevance of Article 2 of the EU Israel Trade Association Agreement to actions by Israel in Gaza.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 19 January 2009
	EU-Israel relations are an important part of our engagement with Israel which has at its core the goal of achieving lasting peace in the middle east. Current discussions on the EU-Israel relationship include enhancing discussion of human rights issues.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports of the use of British-supplied military vehicles by Israel in its invasion of Palestinian territories in Gaza.

Bill Rammell: We have received no such reports.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the state of Israel concerning reports of Israel's alleged use of white phosphorus and cluster bombs in their military operation in Gaza.

Gillian Merron: holding  answer 20 January 2009
	We are very concerned about reports of white phosphorus ammunition being used by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza. We have made this clear directly to both the Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv.
	I have also made clear to the House that Gaza is an exceptionally densely populated area where white phosphorus used as an air burst is liable to cause particularly horrific injuries to non-combatants. We consider such use in these circumstances unacceptable.
	We are not aware of allegations that cluster bombs have been used in Gaza.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government had with the Governments of  (a) Syria,  (b) Lebanon,  (c) Turkey,  (d) Egypt,  (e) Jordan and  (f) Saudi Arabia on the situation in the Middle East between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke at least once to his counterparts in all those countries between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government had with Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair on the situation in the Middle East between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009; and on what date the first such discussion took place.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been in regular contact with the Quartet Envoy throughout this crisis.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what common policy positions were taken by EU members in relation to Israel's military action against Gaza between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009.

Bill Rammell: European Union Foreign Ministers met on 30 December 2008 and agreed a statement setting out the EU's stance on the conflict. The EU presidency also issued a number of statements on behalf of the Union.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was first informed of Israel's intention to launch  (a) an aerial and  (b) a ground attack on Gaza; and whether the Government of Israel provided such information.

Bill Rammell: The increasing tension between Israel and Hamas was very clear in early December 2008. With rocket attacks increasing and the Hamas declaration that it would not renew the ceasefire on 19 December 2008, there was clearly a risk of Israeli military action. We did not however have specific prior warning of Israel's intention to launch the aerial operation.
	Similarly, while we were well aware of the likelihood of an Israeli ground operation to follow up the Israeli air operation, we were aware of preparations being made and we were discussing the conflict frequently with the Israeli authorities in our efforts to secure a ceasefire, we had no specific prior warning of Israel's intention to launch the ground operation.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what formal representations he has made to the Government of Israel on the proportionality of its use of force in Gaza between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009.

Bill Rammell: As I told the House on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 396: "the Israeli action has been disproportionate". We have consistently urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties and from the outset have called in public and private for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage the establishment of a Palestinian State.

Bill Rammell: We are at the forefront of international effort to support peace negotiations and build the institutions of a future Palestinian state. We have pledged £243 million over three years to support the Palestinian Authority and people.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many letters his Department has received from members of the public on the conflict in Gaza.

Bill Rammell: The number of letters received from members of the public increases constantly and is now approaching 1,000. We have already replied to over 600 letters of these letters.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the principles of the Quartet are; which countries in the Middle East have agreed to them; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Quartet Principles are recognition of Israel, acceptance of previous Palestinian Liberation Organisation agreements with Israel and rejection of violence. We support the Quartet in asking these things of Hamas as a basis for engagement.

Mustafa Abdel Dayem

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the trial of the Saharawi Mustafa Abdel Dayem in Morocco; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government are aware of the trial of Mustafa Abdel Dayem, which was discussed during a European Union meeting in Rabat on 16 January. The trial will be discussed again at the European Union Heads of Mission meeting in Rabat on 28 January 2009. We will continue to monitor developments alongside our European Union colleagues.

People's Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government has made of the implications of the judgement of the European Court of First Instance annulling the proscription by the EU of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran; if he will make it his policy to vote against the continued inclusion of the group on the EU list of proscribed groups at the next relevant meeting of the Council of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have made clear that we believe the Council of Ministers should respect the judgment of the Court of First Instance annulling the listing of the People's Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran when conducting its current review of the EU list of terrorist organisations.
	We expect a decision on a new list by the end of January 2009.

Somalia: Politics and Government

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 126/7.

Sri Lanka

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart on the humanitarian and security situation in northern Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised these issues with President Rajapakse when they last met in September 2008. The Prime Minister also wrote to President Rajapakse in January 2009. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary set out the UK's position on Sri Lanka in a written ministerial statement on 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 30-31WS.

Sri Lanka

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the security and humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	 I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's written ministerial statement on Sri Lanka, 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 30-31WS.

Sri Lanka

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government following the killing of the chief editor of the Sunday Leader on 8 January 2009.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	 We welcome the stated commitment of the Sri Lankan Government to investigate the killing of  The Sunday Leader's chief editor on 8 January 2009. The UK has been clear that it is vital for the perpetrators of such reprehensible acts to be brought to justice following a thorough and independent investigation. Our high commission officials in Colombo have emphasised this to President Rajapakse.

Sri Lanka

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the  (a) UN,  (b) EU and  (c) Commonwealth to encourage the establishment of a ceasefire in northern Sri Lanka.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	 Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are in regular contact with the EU, Commonwealth and UN about the situation in Sri Lanka. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear that the UK wants to see an end to the conflict.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka to call a ceasefire in its operations against Tamil forces in the north and east of the country.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 20 January 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear that we must see an end to the conflict and a new drive for a lasting political solution. He wrote to President Rajapakse in January to express our concerns. We continue to engage with all political parties across all communities in Sri Lanka to support progress in this direction. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary set out the UK's position on Sri Lanka in a written ministerial statement on 21 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 30-31WS.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 381W, on the Western Sahara, if he will make representations on Morocco's continued occupation of Western Sahara to the Moroccan Ambassador to the UK.

Bill Rammell: The Government continue to engage in regular discussions with all the parties to the western Sahara dispute, including Morocco.
	We continue to urge the parties to make progress towards a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution providing for the self-determination of the people of western Sahara, negotiated under the auspices of the UN. We therefore welcome the recent appointment of Christopher Ross as the UN Secretary-General's new personal envoy to western Sahara and hope his appointment will lead to renewed engagement by all the parties.

Western Sahara: Exports

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) reports and  (b) representations he has received on the purchase of goods from occupied Western Sahara by UK companies, with particular reference to the legality of such purchases.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not received any reports or representations from UK companies regarding the purchase of goods from Western Sahara or the legalities of such purchases.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid Norfolk of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 866W, what recent discussions have been held  (a) at the United Nations and  (b) in the EU on direct intervention in Zimbabwe to secure the removal of Robert Mugabe and his regime.

Gillian Merron: We have not had discussions with any international organisations on direct intervention in Zimbabwe to remove Robert Mugabe from power. Those working for change and reform in Zimbabwe are not calling for military intervention. Their, and our, focus is foremost on the humanitarian situation and doing what can be done to alleviate suffering. We do, however, regularly discuss with the UN and EU non-military options for encouraging a resolution to the crisis. On 26 January 2009, my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary, met EU Foreign Ministers to discuss the extension of EU targeted sanctions.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related emergency admissions to hospitals of  (a) men and  (b) women there have been in the London borough of Hillingdon in each year since 1997, broken down by age of patient.

Dawn Primarolo: These data are collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care. The following table shows the number of alcohol-related finished emergency admissions for residents of the London borough of Hillingdon for the years 2002-03 to 2006-07 has been placed in the Library. Data for earlier years are not available. 2006-07 is the latest year for which data are available.
	
		
			  Number of alcohol-related finished emergency admissions for residents of Hillingdon 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			   Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total  Males  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 Under 16 * * 8 9 13 22 8 10 18 9 13 22 8 10 18 
			 16-24 * * 79 103 83 186 99 77 176 103 83 186 99 77 176 
			 25-34 81 56 137 113 96 208 112 99 211 113 96 208 112 99 211 
			 35-44 143 50 193 187 148 336 228 122 350 187 148 336 228 122 350 
			 45-54 157 65 222 266 94 361 317 111 429 266 94 361 317 111 429 
			 55-64 166 57 223 251 97 348 284 104 388 251 97 348 284 104 388 
			 65-74 157 76 233 239 113 352 278 124 402 239 113 352 278 124 402 
			 75 or over 160 169 330 305 240 545 336 267 603 305 240 545 336 267 603 
			 Total 911 514 1,425 1,472 885 2.357 1,663 915 2,578 1,472 885 2.357 1,663 915 2,578 
			  Notes: 1. Includes activity in English national health service (NHS) hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. 2. Small numbers: To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with "*" (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed. 3. Alcohol-related admissions: The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO). Following international best practice, the NWPHO methodology includes a wide range of diseases and injuries in which alcohol plays a part and estimates the proportion of cases that are attributable to the consumption of alcohol. Details of the conditions and associated proportions can be found in the report Jones et al. (2008) 'Alcohol-attributable fractions for England: Alcohol-attributable mortality and hospital admissions'. 4. Figures for under 16s only include admissions where one or more alcohol-specific conditions were listed. This is because the research on which the attributable fractions are based does not cover under 16s. Alcohol-specific conditions are those that are wholly attributed to alcohol - that is, those with an attributable fraction of one. They are: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (142.6) Alcoholic gastritis (K29.2) Alcoholic myopathy (G72.1) Alcoholic polyneuropathy (G62.1) Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome (E24.4) Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol (G31.2) Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol (F10) Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol (X45) Ethanol poisoning (T51.0) Methanol poisoning (T51.1) Toxic effect of alcohol, unspecified (T51.9) 5. Number of episodes in which the patient had an alcohol-related primary or secondary diagnosis: These figures represent the number of episodes where an alcohol-related diagnosis was recorded in any of the 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if an alcohol-related diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. 6. Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 7. Emergency admissions: Includes all types of emergency admission (Method of admission codes 21-28). 8. Primary diagnosis: The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. 9. Secondary diagnoses: As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. 10. Data Quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Source: HES, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Ambulance Services: Bridlington

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths of residents of Bridlington have occurred while they were in ambulances in each of the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. You may wish to contact your local NHS for further information.

Angelman Syndrome: Research

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into Angleman's syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Neither the Department's National Institute for Health Research nor the Medical Research Council (MRC) is currently supporting research on Angelman syndrome.
	The MRC has a large portfolio of genetic research, some of which may have relevance to the condition. For example, the MRC funds research on the genetic factors related to learning disorders that has identified a number of candidate genes contributing to learning disability.

Angina

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to provide care to those with refractory angina.

Ann Keen: The national service framework for coronary heart disease (March 2000) sets a 10-year framework for action to prevent disease, tackle inequalities, save more lives, and improve the quality of life for people with heart disease. Chapter 4 of the CHD NSF covers stable angina. This chapter sets out how primary care teams and specialists can best help people with angina or suspected angina to relieve their symptoms and reduce their risk of suffering a major cardiovascular event.
	When the CHD NSF was written, there was little high-quality evidence to guide practice for refractory angina and it was mentioned only briefly. However, since 1996, a national centre for the management of patients with refractory angina has been developing at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen university hospital trust. This is known as the National Refractory Angina Centre (NRAC). In November 2007, the Cheshire and Merseyside cardiac network published the second edition of its guideline on the management and treatment of stable angina. Although not a stable condition, the document contains a detailed section on refractory angina. This guideline is recognised nationally.
	I am due to visit the NRAC in February 2009 and have asked for a national meeting to continue service development in this area.

Antidepressants

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) England and  (b) Sefton have been prescribed anti-depressant drugs.

Phil Hope: The Department does not know the number of people prescribed a particular drug.
	The following table provides the number of prescription items prescribed in the community in Sefton primary care trust and England as a whole, that were dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom, for anti-depressant drugs listed in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3 for the latest available 12 month period.
	
		
			  Number of prescription items prescribed in the community in Sefton PCT and England as a whole, that were dispensed in the community in the UK, for anti-depressant drugs listed in BNF section 4.3. 
			  November 2007 to October 2008  Number of items ( Thousand ) 
			 England 35,199.7 
			 Sefton PCT 238.5 
			  Source:  Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (ePACT) system.

Antidepressants: Costs

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of prescriptions of anti-depressant drugs in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The British National Formulary classifies anti-depressant drugs within section 4.3. We are able to supply the prescribing costs for drugs within this section for health regions. The latest figures available are for November 2008.
	As the areas requested are not health regions we have supplied information for the health regions that best fit those requested (West Hertfordshire primary care trust to represent Hemel Hempstead and West Hertfordshire and East and North Hertfordshire PCTs combined to represent Hertfordshire).
	
		
			  Net ingredient cost (NIC) of anti-depressant drugs (BNF section 4.3), December 2007-November 2008 
			   Net ingredient cost ( £000 ) 
			 Hemel Hempstead (West Hertfordshire PCT) 1,994.9 
			 Hertfordshire (West Hertfordshire and East and North Hertfordshire PCTs combined) 4,355.3 
			  Notes: ePACT Data This information was obtained from the Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) system, which covers prescriptions prescribed by general practitioner, nurses, pharmacists and others in England and dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom. For data at PCT level, prescriptions written by a prescriber located in a particular PCT but dispensed outside that PCT will be included in the PCT in which the prescriber is based. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. Prescriptions written in hospitals /clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and private prescriptions are not included in PACT data. Net ingredient cost (NIC) NIC is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.  Source: Figures for the answer were sourced from Prescribing Analysis and CosT Tool (ePACT).

Aphasia: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people with aphasia in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire.

Ann Keen: We have made no estimates of the number of people with aphasia.

Arthritis: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) anti-TNF medicines and  (b) disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs have been (i) prescribed in hospital and (ii) dispensed in the community in each year since 2000-01.

Phil Hope: Information on the number of prescriptions for anti-TNF medicines and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medicines in hospitals is not available.
	Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medicines, including anti-TNF medicines, are listed in the British National Formulary (BNF) "chapter 10.1.3—Drugs that suppress the rheumatic disease process". The following table shows the total number of prescription items dispensed in the community in England for this category and for anti-TNF medicines.
	
		
			  Prescription items of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medicines dispensed in the community in England( 1) 
			  Thousand 
			   BNF chapter 10.1.3 including anti-TNF drugs  Anti-TNF drugs( 2)  BNF chapter 10.1.3 excluding anti-TNF drugs 
			 2000-01 2,222.6 0.1 2,222.5 
			 2001-02 2,359.1 0.3 2,358.8 
			 2002-03 2,489.4 0.5 2,488.9 
			 2003-04 2,624.5 1.3 2,623.2 
			 2004-05 2,759.0 2.7 2,756.3 
			 2005-06 2,948.6 5.0 2,943.6 
			 2006-07 3,119.4 5.1 3,114.3 
			 2007-08 3,358.5 8.0 3,350.5 
			 2008-09 (April-September) 1,783.5 5.3 1,778.2 
			 (1) Medicines can be used to treat more than one condition and it is not possible to identify the different conditions that a medicine was prescribed for. Therefore, some of the items included in this table may not have been used to treat rheumatic disease. (2) Adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel) and infliximab (Remicade)  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system

Autism: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are available for adults with autism in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire.

Phil Hope: Information is not available in the format requested. There are 118 care homes in Hertfordshire that have at least one place registered to provide care for adults with learning disabilities.
	There are 1,255 places available in these homes. However, it is should be noted that the homes do not register the actual number of places available for each client group, but indicate which groups they can provide at least one place for.

Brain Tumours

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided to external organisations to raise awareness of and provide for patient support for those with brain tumours; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department provided a total of £34,000 between 2004 and 2007 to Brain Tumour UK, then known as the UK Brain Tumour Society, through section 64 grants (now known as the Third Sector Investment Programme). The grants were provided to enable the charity to raise awareness and provide support for people with brain tumours.
	Details of these and other grants to external organisations working to raise awareness and provide support for people with cancer, including brain tumours, is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/Section64grants/index.htm

Cancer

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the percentage of newly diagnosed cancer patients who are provided with advice on the financial assistance for which they may be eligible.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. Advice to patients on sources of financial help is one of the areas to be included in information prescriptions for patients, as proposed in the White Paper "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services". A system to enable health care professionals to generate tailored information prescriptions for cancer patients is expected to be rolled out later this year.

Cancer: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training his Department has provided for health care professionals on paediatric brain tumour diagnosis in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: The Department does not provide training for health care professionals, nor is it responsible for setting curricula for health professional training. However, we do share a commitment with statutory and professional bodies that all health professionals are trained, so that they have the skills and knowledge to deliver a high quality health service to all groups of the population with whom they deal, whatever their condition.

Contraceptives

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in each age group were fitted with a contraceptive implant of each type in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information available is shown in the tables.
	The following table shows data on prescriptions dispensed in the community. Data on the number of women fitted with an implant by age are not available.
	
		
			   Implanon Implant 68 mg  Norplant Implant( 1)  38 mg (6 Cap)  Total 
			 2007 52,057 — 52,057 
			 2006 37,951 — 37,951 
			 2005 23,469 — 23,469 
			 2004 15,557 — 15,557 
			 2003 12,747 — 12,747 
			 2002 9,714 — 9,714 
			 2001 7,084 1 7,085 
			 2000 5,133 7 5,140 
			 1999 441 1,034 1,475 
			 1998 — 689 689 
			 Total 164,153 1,731 165,884 
			 (1) Norplant Implant is no longer available.  Source: Prescription information is taken from the PCA system, supplied by NHS Prescription Services, part of the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA), and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community in England i.e. by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals. 
		
	
	The following table shows first contacts with women at community contraceptive clinics showing the number of implants fitted by age and year.
	
		
			  First contacts with women at community contraceptive clinics in England with a recorded outcome in contraceptive implants 
			  T housand 
			   All ages  Under 16  16 to 19  20 to 24  25 to 34  35 and over 
			 2007-08 46.8 2.0 11.1 12.9 14.5 6.3 
			 2006-07 35.7 1.4 8.1 9.9 11.0 5.3 
			 2005-06(1) 25.5 0.8 5.5 7.2 8.1 3.9 
			 2004-05 16.6 0.4 3.1 4.7 5.6 2.8 
			 2003-04 12.4 0.3 2.2 3.6 4.2 2.1 
			 2002-03 7.8 0.2 1.2 2.4 2.7 1.4 
			 2001-02 5.0 0.1 0.6 1.3 2.0 1.0 
			 2000-01 3.4 0.1 0.4 0.8 1.4 0.7 
			 1999-2000 2.4 0.0 0.2 0.5 1.1 0.6 
			 1998-99 1.3 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.6 0.3 
			 (1) 2005-06 data has been revised.  Source: The Information Centre KT31 return

Contraceptives

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in each age group and NHS trust area were  (a) given prescriptions for the oral contraceptive and  (b) given depot contraceptive injections in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: Data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community for oral and injectable contraceptives by primary care trust have been placed in the Library. Information is not held prior to 2003. Data on the number of patients receiving a prescription, and also data by age, are not available.
	Data for oral and injectable contraceptives supplied by community contraceptive clinics for the seven years preceding 2005-06 can be provided only at disproportionate cost. 2005-06 data for first contacts with women at community contraceptive clinics by age and trust have already been placed in the Library. Data for 2006-07 and 2007-08 have been placed in the Library.

Dental Services: Romsey

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Romsey constituency received treatment from an NHS dentist in each year from 1997 to 2008.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. However, the number of patients registered with a national health service dentist, in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex A of the 'NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006'. Information is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and by strategic health authority (SHA). Annex C contains information by parliamentary constituency.
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with a NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The number of patients seen in the previous 24 months in England, as at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 June 2008 is available in Table D3 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics, Q1 2008-09 report. Information is provided by PCT and SHA but is not available by constituency.
	This report, published on 27 November 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809q1.

Health Education

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent to date on advertising campaigns relating to  (a) smoking,  (b) binge drinking and  (c) drug awareness in financial year 2008-09.

Dawn Primarolo: In the 2008-09 financial year, the Department has spent the following amounts on advertising campaigns relating to smoking and drug awareness, year to date (April to December 2008):
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Smoking 14.3 
			 Drug awareness 0.4 
		
	
	The drugs prevention campaign (FRANK) is paid for jointly by the Department of Health, the Home Office and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The figure quoted above relates to the Department of Health's advertising spend only. It does not include the rest of the FRANK campaign activity spend to which Department of Health's contributes a further £2.1 million towards the total cost of £6.6 million in 2008-09.
	With regard to advertising campaigns relating to binge drinking, the Home Office now funds this campaign. The Department of Health funds the 'Units' campaign targeted at the 25 years plus age range.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by each local health authority on rehabilitation following a heart attack in the last year for which figures are available, ranked from highest to lowest for each region.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect this information centrally.
	Information about cardiac rehabilitation programmes in England is available in the annual national audit of cardiac rehabilitation's (NACR) 2008 annual report, which can be found on the NACR's website:
	www.cardiacrehabilitation.org.uk/dataset.htm.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts provide trans-catheter aortic valve treatment on the NHS.

Ann Keen: There is evidence that transcatheter aortic valve implants (TAVI) can be beneficial in a small number of high risk patients. Decisions on funding of interventions such as TAVI are the responsibility of Specialised Service Commissioners with agreement from their local primary care trusts.
	This treatment is available at a number of hospitals throughout England.

Human-Animal Hybrid Embryos

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what account the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority took of funding provisions when it authorised research licence R0179 for the creation of animal-human hybrids to the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Newcastle; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what account the HFEA took of funding provisions when it authorised research licence R0180 for the creation of animal-human hybrids to King's College London; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The HFEA does not take account of the availability of funding when it considers an application for a research licence. The HFEA must consider if the project meets the requirements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, including that the research is necessary or desirable and the use of embryos is necessary.

Infant Mortality: Disadvantaged

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the progress towards the target of reduction of health inequalities as measured by infant mortality by 2010.

Dawn Primarolo: The infant mortality aspect of the national health inequalities public service agreement target is starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent. the gap in mortality between the routine and manual group and the population as a whole.
	Infant mortality rates have fallen since the 1997-99 target baseline, including for the routine and manual group, while the infant mortality gap has widened.
	The most recent assessment of this aspect of the target shows a further slight narrowing in the gap between the routine and manual group and the whole population. The gap has fallen to 16 per cent. in 2005-07, compared with 19 per cent. higher in 2002-04. This compares with 13 per cent. higher than at baseline. The target is still challenging, but if the gap continues to narrow at the rate observed since 2002-04, the infant mortality aspect of the target will be met.
	The 'Review of the Health Inequalities Infant Mortality PSA target'—together with the 'Implementation Plan for Reducing Health Inequalities in Infant Mortality'—was published by the Department of Health in 2007. The review identified the actions, interventions and 43 local authority areas most likely to help deliver the target. The recently established infant mortality national support team will provide tailored support to the 43 areas to address the target.
	Copies of the documents have been placed in the Library.

Influenza: Vaccination

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to publicise availability of influenza vaccinations in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) on 16 December 2008,  Official Report, column 682W. The publicity for the seasonal flu campaign carried out by the Department is national, rather than regional.

Injuries: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 19 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1195W, on injuries: children, what the equivalent figures were in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The data for finished admission episodes for deliberate and unintended injuries (age 0-15 inclusive) are in the following table.
	
		
			   Cause 
			   Unintended  Deliberate (intentional self-harm)  Deliberate (assault s )  Other 
			 2006-07 121,966 7,622 3,270 606 
			 2005-06 120,292 7,851 3,315 551 
			 2004-05 118,607 7,004 3,121 654 
			 2003-04 119,369 7,469 3,178 671 
			 2002-03 115,234 6,784 2,840 624 
			 2001-02 120,233 6,332 3,025 651 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics

Learning Disability

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases of mistreatment of NHS patients with learning disabilities have been recorded in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that the treatment of patients with learning disabilities by NHS staff meets the requirements of disability discrimination legislation; and if he will make it his policy to set standards of practice for staff of primary care trusts on treating patients with learning disabilities;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to establish the confidential inquiry into premature deaths of people with learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: We do not collect centrally data on cases of mistreatment of national health service patients with learning disabilities. However, the Healthcare Commission has provided some information on the total number of cases which they have received, both open and closed, involving either a complainant(1) or a patient with a learning disability(2).
	(1)( )These might include cases where a carer complains on behalf of a patient who lacks capacity or where a patient has died and someone else complains about an aspect of their treatment.
	(2)( )The Commission does not use the term 'mistreatment' specifically.
	
		
			  Year received  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Adult (1)— 5 30 56 5 96 
			 Child (1)— 1 8 10 2 21 
			 Age not recorded 1 8 4 3 0 16 
			 Total cases 1 14 42 69 7 133 
			 (1) The Healthcare Commission did not record separately complaints involving people with learning disabilities which is why the numbers in early years are low. 
		
	
	The Healthcare Commission has worked to improve its complaints process to make it accessible for people with learning disabilities. This may be part of the reason for the increase in the number of complaints.
	We have launched a national awareness and education programme for the NHS about the disability equality duty. In addition, we are working with the professional regulatory bodies to ensure that the undergraduate curricula for health and social care professionals does include training on learning disabilities, together with wider training on equalities and human rights.
	We have introduced a directed enhanced services for annual health checks for people with learning disabilities who are known to local authorities. To deliver the healthcheck, general practitioners and practice staff will receive training in meeting the needs of people with a learning disability
	In relation to policy on NHS practice, the NHS operating framework for 2009-10 directs primary care trust to secure general health enquiries that make reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities. They should also ensure that there are wider communication and partnership working arrangements to improve the quality of healthcare provided to people with a learning disability. We will work with strategic health authority to review progress.
	We will establish a time-limited confidential inquiry to investigate premature deaths of people with learning disabilities. We are currently developing a specification for the inquiry and we expect to invite proposals from potential organisations in the coming months.

Lighting: Health Hazards

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will commission research into the possible effects on health of the use of low-energy fluorescent bulbs; and what recent discussions he has had at EU level on the use of such bulbs.

Dawn Primarolo: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) advises the Department on scientific matters concerning optical radiation including low energy light bulbs. The HPA tested a sample of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and found that some emitted ultraviolet (UV) radiation which could, under certain conditions, expose people above international guidelines. As a result of its findings the HPA issued precautionary advice on 9 October 2008 to the general public concerning the use of open CFLs in close-working situations. The HPA's advice can be found at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1223445516605?p=1153822623869
	The HPA's research was considered alongside other available evidence to inform a report by the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). SCENIHR's opinion on light sensitivity can be found at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scenihr/scenihr_opinions_en.htm
	During 2008, officials in the Department undertook a literature review on lighting and light sensitive and neurological conditions and made the scientific references available to SCENIHR. The Department is continuing to work with patient groups, clinicians and the lighting industry to keep the health issues under review.
	In discussions with the European Commission throughout 2008, with regard to implementation of the domestic lighting part 1 of the eco-design of energy saving products Directive 2005/32/EC, the Government successfully pressed for consideration of health impacts to be fully considered and for limits to be set on UV emissions from CFLs.

Macular Degeneration: Derbyshire

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people had non-age-related macular degeneration in Derbyshire in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008;
	(2)  how many people had diabetes-related macular degeneration in Derbyshire in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on mental health care in  (a) England and  (b) Sefton in each of the last 10 years (i) in absolute terms and (ii) per head of population; and how much he estimates will be spent on such care in the next (A) five and (B) 10 years.

Phil Hope: These data are not collected centrally in the format requested. However, the following table shows the expenditure per head of population under Mental Health in England and Sefton Primary Care Trust for financial years 2003-04 to 2006-07:
	
		
			  Total expenditure and the expenditure per head of population under Mental Health in England and Sefton PCT for financial years 2003-04 to 2006-07 
			   Expenditure( 1)  (£000)  Expenditure per head population (£) 
			   England  Sefton PCT( 2)  England  Sefton PCT( 2) 
			 2003-04 7,386,096 39,107 150 130 
			 2004-05 7,905,131 50,962 161 170 
			 2005-06 8,538,755 40,077 174 133 
			 2006-07 9,125,740 49,632 183 166 
			 (1 )For consistency the expenditure figure include substance abuse. Data cannot be separated for earlier years. In 2006-07, £716,330 was spent on substance abuse, 7.8 per cent. of the total Mental Health expenditure. (2 )Values for financial years 2003-04 to 2005-06 are based on the programme budgeting and population data for South Sefton PCT and Southport and Formby PCT, which merged to form Sefton PCT in 2006-07.  Source:  Department of Health

Mental Health Services: Restraint Techniques

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, column 961W, on mental health services: restraint techniques, 
	(1)  whether it will be mandatory for all staff engaged in physical restraint interventions to receive accredited training;
	(2)  when he expects accredited training in the therapeutic management of violence to be implemented;
	(3)  when he expects the guidance of the National Institute for Mental Health in England to be published;
	(4)  whether all responses to the National Institute for Mental Health in England consultation on The National Minimum Standards for the Safe and Therapeutic Management of Aggression and Violence in Mental Health In-patient Settings have now been considered.
	(5)  with reference to the answer of 20 February 2008,  Official Report, column 812W, on mental health services: training, whether all staff working in mental health and learning disability services have now received the Promoting Safer and Therapeutic Services syllabus training in line with his Department's March 2008 target.

Phil Hope: We remain committed to the principle of accreditation of training in the management of aggression in psychiatric settings and are discussing the detail and management of a proposal with key stakeholders. We hope to make a further announcement in the spring. The additional guidance will be published when the proposal is agreed.
	Responses to the consultation on the national minimum standards for the safe and therapeutic management of aggression of aggression and violence in mental health inpatient settings have been considered.
	Figures collected by the National Health Service Security Management Service in December 2007 show that 88 per cent. of frontline staff working in NHS mental health and learning disability bodies had received the Promoting Safer and Therapeutic Services syllabus training. NHS bodies reported that by March 2008 98 per cent. of frontline staff would have received this training.

Mental Health Services: Training

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training his Department will make available to independent mental health advocates before the statutory obligation to commission independent mental health advocates comes into force on 1 April 2009; and whether that training will be mandatory.

Phil Hope: To help prepare for the introduction of independent mental health advocates (IMHAs), the Department has commissioned the National Institute for Mental Health in England to run regional one-day training workshops for potential IMHAs, mental health advocates and health and social care professionals. These workshops will run prior to 1 April 2009 and attendance will be voluntary.

Midwives: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent midwives were in post at  (a) Gloucestershire Royal hospital,  (b) Cheltenham General hospital and  (c) Stroud maternity ward in each of the last two years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally, below trust level. The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent midwives in post in Gloucestershire primary care trust and Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust under which the hospitals and ward in question fall.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified midwifery staff in each specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Full-time equivalent 
			2006  2007 
			 Total specified organisations  198 186 
			 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 5QH 32 30 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust RTE 166 155 
			  Note: Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the scoping study of the provision of NHS and social care rehabilitation services, as referred to on page 24 of his Department's Musculoskeletal Services Framework of July 2006; and what opportunities have been identified to improve such NHS-funded services.

Ann Keen: The scoping study of the provision of national health service and social care rehabilitation services has not been completed.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Medical Treatments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the critical mass of annual  (a) shoulder replacement,  (b) ankle replacement,  (c) elbow replacement and  (d) scoliosis correction procedures is, as referred to on page 40 of his Department's Musculoskeletal Services Framework of July 2006.

Ann Keen: The Department has not undertaken a review of the levels of critical mass required in the provision of shoulder replacement, ankle replacement and elbow replacement.
	The National Specialist Commissioning Group are currently reviewing scoliosis treatment and will be working with specialist providers in developing this work.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Pharmacy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what ways the community pharmacy contractual framework has enabled pharmacists to help people with musculoskeletal conditions since 2006 as referred to on page 22 of his Department's Musculoskeletal Services Framework of July 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: In addition to their traditional role of advising people on how to take their medicines to best effect, the community pharmacy contractual framework, introduced in April 2005 has improved the quality and range of services that pharmacists offer to patients and the public, including those with musculoskeletal conditions by:
	including support for self care, providing healthy lifestyle advice and signposting people to other service providers as essential services provided by all community pharmacies;
	introducing medicines use reviews by accredited pharmacists in accredited premises to review patients' current medicines in discussion with the patient to ensure they get the maximum benefit from them and resolve any problems the person may be encountering with them; and
	offering a range of locally-commissioned services that can benefit those with musculoskeletal conditions, such as stopping smoking, home delivery and full clinical medication reviews.
	The White Paper, Pharmacy in England: Building on Strengths—delivering the future proposes to extend the range of services provided by pharmacies especially for people with long-term conditions including introducing a support service for people newly prescribed medicines for a long term condition within the community pharmacy contractual framework. Discussions will be held with NHS Employers and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to see how such a service can be incorporated into the framework.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many severity  (a) one and  (b) two incidents have been reported to Connecting for Health in each month since 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			   National application service providers (NASP)  Local service providers (LSPs) 
			   Severity level 1  Severity level 2  Severity level 1  Severity level 2 
			  2006 
			 January 4 17 35 73 
			 February 1 7 46 92 
			 March 58 218 19 101 
			 April 59 220 16 105 
			 May 57 216 55 92 
			 June 46 123 31 108 
			 July 52 137 21 92 
			 August 54 451 26 99 
			 September 32 119 28 98 
			 October 48 183 29 93 
			 November 35 259 27 65 
			 December 42 136 16 88 
			  
			  2007 
			 January 28 453 16 87 
			 February 28 83 23 82 
			 March 11 12 28 111 
			 April 59 136 20 90 
			 May 67 118 28 89 
			 June 85 143 20 64 
			 July 56 135 32 76 
			 August 72 285 26 82 
			 September 77 190 23 77 
			 October 80 174 59 125 
			 November 58 144 33 76 
			 December 48 116 46 100 
			  
			  2008 
			 January 54 142 31 113 
			 February 48 155 32 86 
			 March 50 157 27 80 
			 April 51 144 32 76 
			 May 55 163 17 66 
			 June 66 169 10 73 
			 July 64 180 21 80 
			 August 63 151 23 66 
			 September 71 181 21 89 
			 October 165 141 28 88 
			 November 67 150 9 91 
			 December 66 117 11 165 
		
	
	These figures relate to incidents as they are reported. In practice and after investigation, many incidents are found to be local hardware, software or infrastructure problems, or they are re-categorised with the agreement of the user. The figures should therefore not be interpreted as being a reflection of system performance.
	Performance figures are published on the NHS Connecting for Health website to show performance against service level agreements (SLAs). The actual performance against the SLAs shows a good service.
	Some 91 per cent. of NASP severity 1 incidents, and some 94 per cent. of NASP severity 2 incidents in the table relate to reports relating to the NHS national broadband network (N3) where there are around 27,000 individual service connections against which incidents can be logged.

NICE: Weber-Shandwick

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has made to Weber-Shandwick for public  (a) affairs and  (b) relations work since its inception.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not held centrally. Payments made by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to external companies are a matter for NICE as an independent body.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions the Compensation Recovery Unit challenged the statements of insurers and their agents on medical treatment in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: As part of the administration of the NHS injury cost recovery scheme, the compensation recovery unit (CRU) is required to conduct compliance checks. CRU uses risk based sampling to identify cases to be challenged. In 2007-08, 60,440 of these checks were completed.

Pharmacy

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Office of Fair Trading on follow-up work arising from the OFT's investigation of control of entry regulations in the pharmacy market.

Phil Hope: The OFT report "The control of entry regulations and retail pharmacy services in the UK", was published in January 2003. Since then, officials have had various meetings with the OFT to discuss matters of mutual interest.
	The OFT gave evidence to a review led by Anne Galbraith, former chair of the Prescription Pricing Authority, in spring 2007. Her report "Review of NHS pharmaceutical contractual arrangements", was published in April 2008 alongside the White Paper "Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_083815
	OFT and departmental officials have also met recently to discuss issues arising from the 2008 pharmacy White Paper consultation "Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future—proposals for legislative reform".

Pharmacy

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to link primary care trusts' pharmaceutical needs assessments to strategic planning and commissioning processes;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that each primary care trust area has an up-to-date pharmaceutical needs assessment in place.

Phil Hope: The White Paper "Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future" highlighted that primary care trust pharmaceutical needs assessments should contribute to joint strategic needs assessments, which all PCTs and upper-tier local authorities have a duty to undertake. The support programme on pharmaceutical needs assessment being devised for PLTs, led by NHS Employers, is expected to include guidance on linking joint strategic needs assessment and pharmaceutical needs assessment.
	Following publication of the White Paper, the Department asked NHS Employers to set up a short-term working group to review requirements for pharmaceutical needs assessments and to develop a support programme for primary care trusts. The first element of this programme—"Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments (PNAs) as part of world class commissioning—Guidance for primary care trusts", was published on 7 January 2009. A copy has been placed in the Library and it is also available at:
	www.nhsemployers.org/PNAguidance.
	More resources will follow later this spring. In addition, as part of the world class commissioning programme, the Department plans to publish further information for PCTs on how to commission pharmaceutical services.
	The Department first advised primary care trusts to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments in 2004-05. However, our White Paper stated that while many PCTs have reviewed these assessments or plan to do so, not all PCTs had yet considered the need to either update or review their assessments. The Health Bill 2009 introduced on 15 January 2009 contains proposals to require primary care trusts to assess pharmaceutical needs in their area and to publish a statement of those needs. Subject to parliamentary approval, new regulations, to be derived from powers in the Bill, will set out the requirements for how and when these assessments should be carried out.

Primary Care Trusts: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on administration by  (a) Hampshire Primary Care Trust,  (b) Southampton PCT and  (c) their predecessor trusts (i) in total and (ii) per capita in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is shown in the following tables. Data have been provided for the period 2001-02 to 2007-08, which are the only years available by individual organisation.
	
		
			  Table 1: Administrative costs 2001-02 to 2007-08 
			  £000 
			   Organisation  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 5QC Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT)(1) 16,444 15,968 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 5G6 Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT(2,3) n/a n/a 2,597 2,150 2,111 2,269 n/a 
			 5DF North Hampshire PCT(2) n/a n/a 2,293 2,164 2,038 1,771 1,053 
			 5E9 Mid-Hampshire PCT(2) n/a n/a 926 863 644 478 302 
			 5FD East Hampshire PCT(2) n/a n/a 2,998 2,633 2,397 2,266 1,038 
			 5LY Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT(2,4) n/a n/a 2,808 2,444 2,334 1,522 n/a 
			 5A1 New Forest PCT(2) n/a n/a 3,985 3,829 2,968 2,502 2,128 
			 5LX Fareham and Gosport PCT(2,5) n/a n/a 2,283 2,305 1,961 1,843 n/a 
			 RN4 Portsmouth Health Care NHS Trust(7) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6,201 
			  
			  
			 5L1 Southampton City PCT(6) 9,957 8,536 8,236 6,077 5,118 4,135 3,233 
			 RHS Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust(8) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 712 
			  
			   Health authorities (HAs)
			 QEV Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,441 
			 QD1 North and Mid Hampshire HA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,511 
			 QD3 Southampton and South West Hampshire HA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,913 
			 (1) Hampshire PCT was formed on 1 October 2006. (2) These PCTs merged on 1 October 2006 to become Hampshire PCT. The costs for the period 1 April 2006 to 30 September 2006 are included within the figures provided for Hampshire PCT for 2006-07. (3) Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT was formed on 1 April 2002. Its predecessor organisation was Rushmore and Hart Primary Care Group (PCG). PCGs were not separate legal entities; Rushmore and Hart PCG was a sub-committee of North and Mid-Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of the HA's expenditure that relates to this PCG. (4) Eastleigh and Test Valley PCT was formed on 1 April 2002. Its predecessor organisations were Eastleigh North PCG and part of West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG. PCGs were not separate legal entitles; both Eastleigh North PCG and West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG were sub-committees of Southampton & South West Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of this HA's expenditure that relates to these PCGs. (5) Fareham and Gosport PCT was formed on 1 April 2002. Its predecessor organisations were Fareham PCG, Gosport PCG and Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust. PCGs were not separate legal entities; both Fareham PCG and Gosport PCG were sub-committees of Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of this HA's expenditure that relates to these PCGs. (6) On 1 April 2002, Southampton City PCT absorbed part of West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG and Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust. PCGs were not separate legal entities; West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG was a sub-committees of Southampton and South West Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of the HA's expenditure that relates to this PCG. (7) Part of Portsmouth Healthcare NHS Trust merged into Fareham and Gosport PCT on 1 April 2002. The figure provided is the cost for the whole Trust, as it is not possible to separate out the costs of the part of the Trust that merged with the PCT. (8) Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust merged Into Southampton City PCT on 1 April 2002.  Source: The financial returns of strategic health authorities, PCTs and NHS trusts. The financial returns data is not audited but is validated to the audited summarisation schedules. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Administrative costs per head of population 2001-02 to 2007-08 
			  £ 
			   Organisation  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 5QC Hampshire PCT(1) 13 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 5G6 Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT(2,3) n/a n/a 14 12 12 12 n/a 
			 5DF North Hampshire PCT(2) n/a n/a 12 12 11 10 6 
			 5E9 Mid-Hampshire PCT(2) n/a n/a 5 5 4 3 2 
			 5FD East Hampshire PCT(2) n/a n/a 16 14 13 12 6 
			 5LY Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT(2,4) n/a n/a 19 16 16 10 n/a 
			 5A1 New Forest PCT(2) n/a n/a 23 22 17 14 12 
			 5LX Fareham and Gosport PCT(2,5) n/a n/a 12 12 10 10 n/a 
			 RN4 Portsmouth Health Care NHS Trust(7,9) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			 5L1 Southampton City PCT(6) 42 36 35 26 22 18 14 
			 RHS Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust(8,9) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			 QEV Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2 
			 QD1 North and Mid Hampshire HA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 3 
			 QD3 Southampton and South West Hampshire HA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 3 
			 (1) Hampshire PCT was formed on 1 October 2006. (2) These PCTs merged on 1 October 2006 to become Hampshire PCT. The costs for the period 1 April 2006 to 30 September 2006 are included within the figures provided for Hampshire PCT for 2006-07. (3) Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT was formed on 1 April 2002. Its predecessor organisation was Rushmore and Hart Primary Care Group (PCG). PCGs were not separate legal entities; Rushmore and Hart PCG was a sub-committee of North and Mid-Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of the HA's expenditure that relates to this PCG. (4) Eastleigh and Test Valley PCT was formed on 1 April 2002. Its predecessor organisations were Eastleigh North PCG and part of West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG. PCGs were not separate legal entitles; both Eastleigh North PCG and West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG were sub-committees of Southampton & South West Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of this HA's expenditure that relates to these PCGs. (5) Fareham and Gosport PCT was formed on 1 April 2002. Its predecessor organisations were Fareham PCG, Gosport PCG and Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust. PCGs were not separate legal entities; both Fareham PCG and Gosport PCG were sub-committees of Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of this HA's expenditure that relates to these PCGs. (6) On 1 April 2002, Southampton City PCT absorbed part of West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG and Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust. PCGs were not separate legal entities; West Southampton/Test Valley South PCG was a sub-committees of Southampton and South West Hampshire HA. It is not possible to separate the part of the HA's expenditure that relates to this PCG. (7) Part of Portsmouth Healthcare NHS Trust merged into Fareham and Gosport PCT on 1 April 2002. The figure provided is the cost for the whole Trust, as it is not possible to separate out the costs of the part of the Trust that merged with the PCT. (8) Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust merged Into Southampton City PCT on 1 April 2002. (9) Spend per head figures for NHS trusts cannot be provided as NHS trusts receive income from commissioners outside their geographical area. (10) Population figures used are PCT responsible populations as used to inform PCT revenue allocations.  Source: The financial returns of strategic health authorities, PCTs and NHS trusts. The financial returns data is not audited but is validated to the audited summarisation schedules.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average waiting time for a knee operation in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire was in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average waiting time for a hip operation in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire was in the latest period for which information is available.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the median and mean time waited for hip and knee replacements of residents in the of East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust and West Hertfordshire PCT in 2006-07.
	
		
			  Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Days 
			   Hip  Knee 
			   Median waiting time  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time  Mean waiting time 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 163 146.3 167 151.6 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 141 134.2 147 144.1 
			  Notes:  Main procedure The main procedure is the first recorded procedure or intervention in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and is usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (e.g. time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedure.  Hip replacement procedures: Total Hip Replacement  OPCS-4.2 codes W37—Total prosthetic replacement of hip joint using cement W38—Total prosthetic replacement of hip joint not using cement W39—Other total prosthetic replacement of hip joint  Additions in OPCS-4.3 W37.4—Revision of one component of total prosthetic replacement of hip joint using cement W38.4—Revision of one component of total prosthetic replacement of hip joint not using cement W39.5—Revision of one component of total prosthetic replacement of hip joint NEC W39.6—Closed reduction of dislocated total prosthetic replacement of hip joint W93—Hybrid prosthetic replacement of hip joint using cemented acetabular component W94—Hybrid prosthetic replacement of hip joint using cemented femoral component W95—Hybrid prosthetic replacement of hip joint using cement Hip replacement procedures: Total Prosthetic Replacement of Head of Femur (These codes are included because they are for replacement of part of the hip joint.)  OPCS-4.2 codes W46—Prosthetic replacement of head of femur using cement W47—Prosthetic replacement of head of femur not using cement W48—Other prosthetic replacement of head of femur  Additions in OPCS-4.3 W48.5—Closed reduction of dislocated prosthetic replacement of head of femur  Additions in OPCS-4.3 W40.4—Revision of one component of total prosthetic replacement of knee joint using cement W41.4—Revision of one component of total prosthetic replacement of knee joint not using cement 
			 W42.5—Revision of one component of total prosthetic replacement of knee joint NEC Hemiarthroplasty, unicondylar or unicompartmental knee replacements (These codes are included because they are for replacement of part of the knee joint.) For the following codes (W52-W54) a site code is required in the secondary position. Both codes must be included in the search. The site codes are also listed as follows.  OPCS-4.2, 4.3 W52—Prosthetic replacement of articulation of other bone using cement W53—Prosthetic replacement of articulation of other bone not using cement W54—Other prosthetic replacement of articulation of other bone The possible site codes, which would occur in a secondary procedure position (see footnote), are as follows: Z76.5—Lower end of femur NEC Z77.4—Upper end of tibia NEC Z84.4—Patellofemoral joint Z84.5—Tibiofemoral joint Z84.6—Knee joint  Secondary procedure As well as the main operative procedure, there are up to 11 and 3 prior to 2002-03 secondary operative procedure fields in HES that show secondary or additional procedures performed on the patient during the episode of care.  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in the data, i.e. the data are ungrossed.  Time waited (days) Time waited statistics from HES are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period, whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.  PCT/strategic health authority (SHA) data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on  PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these  years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing  values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown  values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data. The PCTs used are as follows: 5P3—West Hertfordshire PCT 5P4—East and North Hertfordshire PCT  Method of admission The method of admission is how the patient was admitted to hospital. When calculating time waited, admissions are elective so the following methods  are used: 11 Elective—from waiting list 12 Elective—booked Code '13 Elective—planned' is not included as it has been the patients choice to defer.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Tobacco: Sales

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will offer financial assistance to small businesses to cover the costs incurred in removing cigarette displays in shops.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government currently have no such plans.

Tuberculosis: AIDS

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people who presented with tuberculosis in 2008 were subsequently diagnosed with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Dawn Primarolo: Data for tuberculosis (TB) and HIV co-infection for 2008 are not yet available. The most recent data available are for 2005.
	Data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) indicates that, in 2005, the proportion of cases of tuberculosis in England aged 15 years and over co-infected with HIV was 7.9 per cent.
	 Notes:
	1. This figure is based on the retrospective matching of the national Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance database (ETS) and the national HIV/AIDS reports database.
	2. Matching is carried out retrospectively because there is often considerable delay in reporting of cases and data are, therefore, available for 2005 only at present.
	3. This figure also includes HIV/AIDS patients with TB as an AIDS defining illness who were not identified in the national TB database.
	4. The proportion provided is for all cases of co-infection with TB and HIV because we do not have information on which infection was acquired first.
	5. This figure does not include cases of co-infection in children because HIV in children is reported separately.

Vaccination: Costs

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of a single dose of DTP vaccine was in each year since 2000.

Dawn Primarolo: A vaccine containing diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) only, has not been distributed since October 2004 because DTP has been combined with other vaccines. The individual cost of vaccine and the total cost to Government, is commercial-in-confidence.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Charities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to which  (a) charities and  (b) voluntary organisations his Department has provided funding since it was established; and how much funding was provided to each.

Mike O'Brien: I am advised that this question can be answered only by incurring disproportionate costs.

Coal: Imports

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much coal from what countries of origin was imported in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The following table shows how much coal has been imported by country of origin in 2007. Data for 2008 will be published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics in July 2009.
	
		
			   Thousand tonnes 
			 Russia 20,854 
			 Republic of South Africa 7,742 
			 Australia 4,260 
			 Colombia 3,854 
			 United States of America 2,523 
			 Canada 1,771 
			 Indonesia 1,455 
			 People's Republic of China 265 
			 European Union 495 
			 Other countries 146 
			 Total all countries 43,365 
			  Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2008

Diesel: Prices

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Government are taking to ensure that energy companies reduce diesel prices in line with both crude oil and petrol prices.

Mike O'Brien: I recently met with the UK Petroleum Industry Association, which represents fuel retailers, to impress upon them the urgency in passing on any reductions in costs to consumers. Recent increases in the difference between petrol and diesel retail prices are due to a relative shortage of the availability of wholesale diesel due to constraints in refinery capacity.
	The Office of Fair Trading is responsible for ensuring that UK markets are competitive.

Energy: Prices

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage energy suppliers to  (a) publicise the availability of and  (b) maximise take-up of social tariffs by eligible customers.

Mike O'Brien: Suppliers agreed at the fuel poverty summit organised by Ofgem in April 2008, to provide greater visibility of their offers. Following this Ofgem has worked with the suppliers to ensure that information about their social tariffs and programmes and a contact phone number for consumers to check their eligibility, is available on all the suppliers' websites.
	Energy suppliers have committed to collectively spend £100 million this year, rising to £125 million next year and £150 million by 2011 on social assistance. In order to meet this commitment to Government the suppliers need to inform their customers about the assistance available to vulnerable groups through their social tariff scheme.
	Expenditure on suppliers' social assistance is monitored by Ofgem and they estimated, in a report published in December 2008, that over 800,000 customer accounts are now benefiting from a social tariff. This is a significant increase, almost doubling, since March 2008 which is a good indication of the level of awareness of the assistance suppliers offer.

Fuel Poverty

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the number of people  (a) in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency,  (b) the Tees Valley,  (c) the North-East and  (d) the UK who are living in fuel poverty; and what forecast he has made of the number of people in the North-East who will be living in fuel poverty in 10 years' time.

Joan Ruddock: The most recent year for which sub-regional estimates of fuel poverty are available is 2003. The data for fuel poverty levels for 2003 come from the fuel poverty indicator dataset available online at:
	http://www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk
	In 2003, there were around  (a) 2,400 fuel poor households in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland;  (b) 17,700 fuel poor households in the Tees Valley;  (c) 95,000 fuel poor households in the North-East; and  (d) two million fuel poor households in the UK.
	No regional projections have been made of fuel poverty.
	Fuel poverty is not measured at an individual level.

Nuclear Power: France

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the French Government on nuclear fuel recycling following the agreement between the UK and France to co-operate on nuclear energy.

Mike O'Brien: No further discussions yet have taken place with the French Government on nuclear fuel recycling following the agreement between the UK and France to co-operate on nuclear energy.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Arms Trade: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what information his Department holds on the number of F16 jets used by the Israeli air force in the recent military operation over Gaza which contain British-made components; and what steps the Government have taken to ensure that none of the British-made heads up units were incorporated in Israeli F16 jets involved in bombing Gaza recently.

Ian Pearson: This Department does not hold any such information.
	The UK operates a licensing system built around pre-licensing assessment whereby it assesses the risk of misuse of UK supplied equipment before deciding whether or not to grant a licence. All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Judgments on export licence applications take account of the information and circumstances at the time of application. HMG seeks advice from its advisors in its diplomatic posts overseas in relation to all export licence applications, including for Israel.

Construction: Apprentices

Roger Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to ensure that construction companies undertaking public sector infrastructure works are required to employ apprentices.

Si�n Simon: I have been asked to reply.
	Over the last 10 years this Government have rescued the apprenticeships programme, more than doubling the number of starts to over 180,000 in 2006/07.
	To support apprenticeships in construction, Government Departments and agencies have now committed that when they let a new construction contract, they will consider making it a requirement that successful contractors employ apprentices as a proportion of the project work force. We estimate that this will support some 7,000 apprenticeships over the next three years.

Departmental Catering

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what  (a) directly-operated and  (b) franchised catering outlets his Department and its agencies provides for staff.

Patrick McFadden: This Department does not directly operate any catering facilities. Catering in our main BERR buildings in central London is provided by our contracted service provider, Baxter Storey. This includes a staff restaurant and a coffee shop in 1 Victoria Street and a cafe area in Kingsgate House, 66-74 Victoria Street.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 26 January 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to your question (2008/566) what (a) directly-operated and (b) franchised catering outlets his Department and its agencies provides for staff.
	The Insolvency Service does not provide catering outlets for its staff. However, we do provide free tea and coffee for customers and staff.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 26 January 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question, reference 249067, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House has two staff canteens operated by a third party contractor.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of contractors and suppliers to  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have reported that they are compliant with the Government's security standards following publication of the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government, and the accompanying document, Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action, on 25 June 2008.

Patrick McFadden: BERR's Information Asset Owners work with their service delivery partners to ensure adherence with the operating principles and standards set out in the Government's report on Data Handling Procedures in Government.
	I have asked the chief executives of Companies House and the Insolvency Service to respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 26 January 2008:
	The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2008/346) asking what percentage of contractors and suppliers to  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have reported that they are compliant with the Government's security standards following publication of the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government, and the accompanying document, Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum action, June 2008.
	The Insolvency Service wrote to its contractors and suppliers in November 2008 regarding compliance with 'Data Handling Procedures in Government'. To date we have had 34 replies confirming positive compliance, representing 47% of the total issued.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones dated 26 January 2009
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	We identified seven suppliers as part of the Cabinet Office Data Handling Review and have asked them to complete a questionnaire showing their status with regard to the Data Handling Procedures. Of those, four have returned the questionnaire. Subject to minor clarifications, we are content that all four are generally compliant with the procedures and working toward full compliance where applicable. We are actively chasing the remaining three suppliers for their returns.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; for which contracts this applies; in which countries the data for each contract is held; and how many people have their data stored overseas in the case of each such contract.

Patrick McFadden: BERR is not aware of any jurisdictions other than the UK where any personal data are held.
	I have asked the chief executives of Companies House and the Insolvency Service to respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 26 January 2009:
	The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2008/347) asking how many contracts (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; for which contracts this applies; in which countries for each contract is held; and how many people have their data stored overseas in each case of each such contract.
	The Insolvency Service supplies personal information to two contractors based outside the UK.
	The first is to a company based in the United States. The data supplied comprises details of unclaimed monies; name of estate from which the payment was made; amount and date of payment; name and address of payee. The company's role is to trace the creditors who are owed the unclaimed monies and report this information back to the Insolvency Service. Approximately 2,500 records are provided to the company each year.
	The second is a company based in France. This company is used to process Insolvency Service staff claims and is only provided with a limited amount personal information, being: staff name, pay number, grade and payment amount. Sensitive personal information, such as the bank account details are not shared with this company and is only amalgamated when the claims are back in the UK on The Insolvency Service IT System. Approximately 3,500 staff have their names and other limited personal data stores on this system.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 26 January 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House does have any contracts that allow storage of personal data overseas.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of the IT systems in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies is fully accredited to the Government's security standards.

Patrick McFadden: All IT systems in BERR are fully accredited to the Government's Security Standards.
	BERR agency chief executives will be responding separately regarding IT systems in their organisations.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 26 January 2009:
	The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of the Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2008/349) what percentage of the IT systems in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies are fully accredited to the Government's security standards
	I would like to answer the second part of your question in relation to the Insolvency Service. Its legacy infrastructure was accredited to Government standards when first introduced but it cannot meet current standards. However, the service is some way through a major overhaul of its core IT system which will then be subject to the accreditation process.
	Our principal case management systems are many years old and did not go through a separate accreditation process. However these systems are due to be replaced in the next 6 months by new systems which will be accredited as they are introduced.
	A recent review has identified a small number of applications which have a medium term life and are not adequately accredited. These will be put through a retrospective accreditation.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 26 January 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House is certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2005. This effectively covers all IT systems provided in-house.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Minister of State for Trade plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 24 October 2008 on the findings of the Community Pubs Inquiry report.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 11 December 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 21 January and am sorry for the delay in doing so. I hope to respond to the findings in the Community Pubs Inquiry report shortly. The recommendations cover the policy interests of several Government Departments and DCMS is collating a Government response.

Motor Vehicles: Industry

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with trade unions in Wales about the economic difficulties facing the car industry.

Ian Pearson: BERR Ministers and officials regularly have discussions with business and trade unions on issues relating to the car industry.

Small Businesses: Bank Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government have taken to assist small businesses to obtain lending from high street banks.

Ian Pearson: In the pre-Budget report on 24 November 2008, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of Government support for small and medium sized businesses to help them through the current economic difficulties.
	Since then the Government have been working alongside the banks, business organisations and financial organisations to ensure that we speedily transform this announcement into real help for business.
	On 14 January 2009, as part of the Government's Real Help for Business, my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, announced that businesses can now access the full range of support.
	Information on the range of schemes that are available can be found at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp

Small Businesses: Procurement

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many contracts were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises through the supply2.gov.uk website in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; how many he expects to be so awarded in 2008-09; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of such contracts.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 12 January 2009
	The supply2.gov.uk site offers consolidated access to public sector opportunities and allows businesses to search and view open lower-value contract opportunities in a single place. It does not measure contract awards. No estimate is available for the number or value of contracts won through the site.

Small Businesses: VAT

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has received on the effect on small businesses of administering the temporary change to the rate of value added tax.

Ian Pearson: The Department is in regular contact with small businesses and their representatives on a range of issues, including VAT. HMRC provides advice and guidance to all VAT registered businesses, and is the primary contact point for any issues arising.

Textiles: Imports

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his policy is on the importation of fur from Canadian black seals for use in making hats; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 19 January 2009
	The Government's opposition to the annual Canadian seal hunt is well known and remains unchanged. We have lobbied to promote EU-wide action and we are pleased that on 23 July 2008, the European Commission proposed an EU-wide ban on the import, export and sale of seal products from a range of species where it cannot be proved that the seals were killed without suffering avoidable pain or distress. The Government welcome this proposal and is working with the European Commission to introduce effective legislation as quickly as possible. Our aim is for a complete ban on the commercial trade in all pinniped products (i.e. seals, sea lions and walrus).

Whitehall and Industry Group

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the  (a) objectives and  (b) functions are of the Whitehall and Industry Group.

Ian Pearson: The objective of the Whitehall and Industry Group (WIG), which is an independent, neutral, not-for-profit organisation, is to provide a bridge between the private sector and Government for mutual learning and benefit.
	It does this through various means, including by arranging people exchanges between organisations; by organising events on particular issues to promote engagement between business and Government, and by running cross-sector leadership programmes.
	Further information about WIG can be found on its website:
	www.wig.co.uk.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has authorised the Child Support Agency's implementation of its agency steer under its Operational Improvement Plan.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has authorised the Child Support Agency's implementation of its agency steer under its Operational Improvement Plan.
	The Child Support Agency's three year Operational Improvement Plan, was announced by the then Secretary of State John Hutton in February 2006. He endorsed the measures set out in the plan designed to increase the amount of maintenance flowing to children. Ministers continue to be briefed regularly on the Agency's progress in implementing the plan. I understand however that your question refers in particular to the Agency's efforts to collect arrears of child maintenance.
	It may be helpful if I explain that it is the Commission's position that child maintenance arrears should be paid immediately. Where this is not possible the Child Support Agency will attempt to negotiate the payment of a lump sum, by reference to the available information about the non-resident parent's current financial commitments to support them in negotiating the maximum amount possible. The Agency may also enter an agreement with the non-resident parent to recover all arrears as quickly as possible. In the absence of any exceptional circumstances this will normally be within two years.
	The Agency has been given the power under regulation 11 of the Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 to impose a deduction from earnings order to collect an amount of money which does not exceed 40% of a liable person's net earnings. Similarly, sections 35, 36 39a and 40 of the Child Support Act 1991 set out the other main enforcement powers the Agency can employ when seeking the payment of child maintenance arrears. The commitment set out in the Operational Improvement Plan was to consistently and effectively apply these powers to ensure that maintenance flows to children when they need it most.
	As a result, the Agency is collecting more child maintenance arrears than it has ever done before and in September 2008 collected 14.6 million in maintenance arrears alone, more than twice the average amount collected each month before the introduction of the Operational Improvement Plan. Between 1 April and 30 September 2008, the Agency has collected 80.3 million in arrears, bringing to almost 297 million the total collected in maintenance arrears since April 2006.
	The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 will strengthen the range of enforcement and debt management powers available to the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. The Commission will bring these powers into force as soon as practicable in order to build on the Agency's improvements and will continue to focus on collection of outstanding arrears.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much and what proportion of outstanding child maintenance arrears were recovered in each month since May 1997.

Kitty Ussher: The administration of the child maintenance system is a matter for the Commissioner of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much and what proportion of outstanding child maintenance arrears were recovered in each month since May 1997.
	This information is available in Table 19.5 of the September 2008 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The latest version is available in the House of Commons library or online at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_sep08.asp.
	The amount of arrears collected in each month from April 2003 to September 2008 is provided in the attached table. Levels of arrears are not recorded in the format you requested prior to the introduction of the current computer system (CS2) in 2003.
	The information you requested on the proportion of outstanding child maintenance arrears recovered is not available. Since June 2006, the Child Support Agency has been contracting out the collection of some arrears to debt collection agencies. For cases managed by debt collection agencies, the agreement to pay back the maintenance arrears and in particular, the amount to be paid each month is a matter between the debt collection agency and the non-resident parent. As such, the Agency no longer has the information to assess cash compliance for all cases. Whilst the total amount of debt is known, the monthly amount of arrears the non-resident parent is expected to pay the debt collection agency is not.
	In September 2008, the Agency collected or arranged 98.7 million in maintenance of which 14.6 million was arrears. This is the highest level of maintenance and arrears collected or arranged by the Agency in one month ever.
	
		
			  Child maintenance arrears collected each month from April 2003 to September 2008 
			   Arrears collected (million) 
			 April 2003 5.1 
			 May 2003 5.3 
			 June 2003 5.3 
			 July 2003 5.6 
			 August 2003 5.0 
			 September 2003 5.4 
			 October 2003 5.7 
			 November 2003 4.9 
			 December 2003 5.2 
			 January 2004 5.6 
			 February 2004 4.9 
			 March 2004 5.8 
			 April 2004 5.3 
			 May 2004 5.1 
			 June 2004 6.3 
			 July 2004 5.6 
			 August 2004 5.8 
			 September 2004 5.4 
			 October 2004 5.5 
			 November 2004 6.0 
			 December 2004 5.6 
			 January 2005 5.6 
			 February 2005 5.6 
			 March 2005 6.3 
			 April 2005 5.9 
			 May 2005 6.5 
			 June 2005 7.0 
			 July 2005 7.5 
			 August 2005 6.7 
			 September 2005 6.2 
			 October 2005 6.7 
			 November 2005 7.2 
			 December 2005 6.4 
			 January 2006 6.9 
			 February 2006 6.2 
			 March 2006 7.5 
			 April 2006 6.4 
			 May 2006 7.9 
			 June 2006 7.3 
			 July 2006 7.4 
			 August 2006 7.0 
			 September 2006 6.7 
			 October 2006 8.0 
			 November 2006 7.8 
			 December 2006 7.0 
			 January 2007 7.9 
			 February 2007 8.0 
			 March 2007 9.2 
			 April 2007 8.6 
			 May 2007 8.9 
			 June 2007 10.1 
			 July 2007 10.3 
			 August 2007 10.3 
			 September 2007 9.8 
			 October 2007 11.5 
			 November 2007 10.8 
			 December 2007 10.3 
			 January 2008 12.2 
			 February 2008 12.0 
			 March 2008 11.6 
			 April 2008 13.2 
			 May 2008 12.0 
			 June 2008 13.6 
			 July 2008 14.6 
			 August 2008 12.3 
			 September 2008 14.6 
			  Notes: 1. Amounts of maintenance collected for recent months are subject to minor revisions. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.1 million. 3. The amount of arrears received was previously being under counted due to the omission of up to 2 million worth of payments to the Agency. DWP have completed work to correct this. More detail can be found on the contents page.

Children: Maintenance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average amount of maintenance recovered by the Child Support Agency was from all cases  (a) with maintenance outstanding and  (b) in which maintenance has been recovered in each month since May 1997.

Kitty Ussher: The administration of the child maintenance system is a matter for the Commissioner of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount of maintenance recovered by the Child Support Agency was from all cases (a) with maintenance outstanding and (b) in which maintenance has been recovered in each month since May 1997.
	The attached table sets out the average amount of maintenance arrears collected in all cases including those cases where payments have not been received. It also sets out the average amount of child maintenance arrears collected in those cases where a payment has been received. This information, which is only available for cases from March 2003, shows the significant increase in the amount of arrears collected by the Agency in the last three years.
	The Agency's three year Operational Improvement Plan, launched in April 2006 focussed on improving compliance and enforcement, to increase the amount of money flowing to children. In the twelve months to September 2008, the Agency collected or arranged almost 1.1 billion in child maintenance, of which 149 million was arrears. This is an 84% increase in arrears collected compared to the year to March 2006.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Average monthly arrears collected per case 
			   
			  Month  Average monthly arrears collected all cases( 1)  Average monthly arrears collected per compliant case( 2) 
			  2003   
			 March 26 45 
			 April 24 43 
			 May 25 45 
			 June 25 45 
			 July 27 47 
			 August 24 44 
			 September 26 47 
			 October 27 49 
			 November 24 43 
			 December 25 46 
			
			  2004   
			 January 27 49 
			 February 24 45 
			 March 27 48 
			 April 24 47 
			 May 23 45 
			 June 28 52 
			 July 25, 47 
			 August 25' 50 
			 September 24 47 
			 October 24 47 
			 November 26 52 
			 December 25 49 
			
			  2005   
			 January 25 49 
			 February 25 49 
			 March 28 53 
			 April 26 50 
			 May 29 56 
			 June 31 59 
			 July 33 65 
			 August 30 58 
			 September 27 55 
			 October 29 58 
			 November 32 62 
			 December 28 56 
			
			  2006   
			 January 30 59 
			 February 27 57 
			 March 33 62 
			 April 28 57 
			 May 34 66 
			 June 32 61 
			 July 32 61 
			 August 30 60 
			 September 29 59 
			 October 34 68 
			 November 33 66 
			 December 30 64 
			
			  2007   
			 January 34 69 
			 February 34 71 
			 March 39 77 
			 April 36 76 
			 May 37 76 
			 June 42 86 
			 July 43 84 
			 August 42 83 
			 September 41 84 
			 October 48 94 
			 November 45 88 
			 December 43 88 
			
			  2008   
			 January 52 99 
			 February 51 99 
			 March 49 99 
			 April 57 109 
			 May 51 103 
			 June 59 116 
			 July 64 121 
			 August 55 111 
			 September 66 126 
			 (1) Average monthly arrears per charging case calculated by dividing the monthly arrears collected each month by the number of cases that either made an arrears payment in the month or where arrears were requested in the month. (2) Average monthly arrears per compliant case calculated by dividing the monthly arrears collected each month by the number of cases that made an arrears payment in the month.  Note: Figures rounded to nearest whole pound.

Children: Maintenance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons some Child Support Agency cases are processed clerically; and how procedures differ between those cases processed clerically and those processed electronically.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons some Child Support Agency cases are processed clerically; and how procedures differ between those cases processed clerically and those processed electronically.
	Cases are processed clerically when for technical reasons it is not possible for them to be progressed using the CS2 computer system.
	All cases, including those being managed clerically at the Bolton office, are subject to the same legislative and procedural rules.
	This arrangement has been beneficial to clients as it ensures the efficient processing of their case through to successful maintenance outcome. By the end of September 2008, almost 60 million in child maintenance had been passed to parents with care whose cases are processed clerically. Clerical cases represent less than 3% of the Agency's total caseload.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of non-resident parents in receipt of benefit are subject to deductions from earnings orders which specify the payment of 5 per week.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is now responsible for the child maintenance system.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of non-resident parents in receipt of benefit are subject to Deduction from Earnings Orders which specify the payment of 5 per week.
	The Commission contacted you to clarify your question. It was confirmed that the answer requested was for the proportion of non-resident parents on benefit and working part-time who are subject to a Deduction from Earnings Order with a weekly liability of 5.
	At the end of February 2008, the latest date for which information is available, there were 306,400 cases with a calculation where the status of the non-resident parent is recorded as being on benefit. Around 500 of these cases, under 0.2%, are subject to a Deduction from Earnings Order, or Deduction from Earnings Request, where the weekly liability is 5.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly child maintenance payment to parents with care in receipt of means-tested benefits was in the latest period for which information is available.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 20 January 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the Hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner, as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average weekly child maintenance payment to parents with care in receipt of means-tested benefits was in the latest period for which information is available.
	The latest benefits data available is from the quarter ending February 2008. This shows that the Agency collected or arranged child maintenance on behalf of 161,000 parents with care who were also in receipt of Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance. The information available is recorded monthly. The average monthly amount of maintenance collected or arranged in February 2008 on these cases was 113. This includes both regular maintenance and maintenance arrears.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Poverty

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what factors his Department has identified as the main causes of child poverty.

Kitty Ussher: We published 'Ending Child Poverty: Everybody's Business' in March 2008, which highlights the main causes and outcomes of child poverty. The report identified that children raised in workless households are at far greater risk of poverty than those in working households. Other causes of child poverty are a lack of skills and educational qualifications, parents or children with a disability or poor health, low aspirations and living in deprived communities and communities with higher crime rates.
	For those who can, work remains the surest and most sustainable route out of poverty. Our policies on welfare reform, childcare, back to work help, skills development and in-work support will further increase parental employment and family income.
	Legislation, planned for this session, will ensure all levels of Government play their part in delivering these policies and meeting our target to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

Departmental Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 58W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, what distance of air travel was offset by his Department and its participating agencies in 2007-08; and what proportion of such travel was  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul.

Jonathan R Shaw: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1018-19W.

Departmental Buildings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in the last five years; how much has been spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has an estates private finance initiative contract with Trillium for the provision of fully fitted and serviced accommodation and for which the Department pays an all inclusive unitary charge. This unitary charge includes a risk price element for all aspects of building maintenance, repair, routine decoration and refurbishment, known as Life Cycle Works. These separate elements cannot be disaggregated from the overall expenditure on Life Cycle Works. The Department has made no expenditure on wallpaper since 2001. Any future expenditure on decoration will be provided for within the unitary charge.
	Some improvements are not covered by the unitary charge and are funded separately as capital expenditure. Capital expenditure includes major projects, and the fit-out of new buildings, such as the rollout of the new Jobcentre Plus network and other departmental initiatives in the Pension Service and Debt Management. The Department's capital expenditure on these major projects in the last five years is provided in the following table. Separate costs for decorating and otherwise improving could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  DWP capital expenditure on major projects 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			million 
			 2003-04 282.3 
			 2004-05 117.3 
			 2005-06 278.9 
			 2006-07 162.2 
			 2007-08 48.2

Departmental Catering

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) directly-operated and  (b) franchised catering outlets his Department and its agencies provides for staff.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has a Private Finance Initiative contract with Trillium for the provision of fully fitted and serviced accommodation, which includes catering. Trillium delivers the catering service through its service partner, Eurest.
	Catering is provided in 133 Department for Work and Pensions locations. All of these catering outlets are directly operated by Eurest and there are no franchised outlets. A list of all 133 locations which have catering outlets has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Databases

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 13 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1303-4W, on departmental databases, if he will list each of the identified postcode sectors in the 50 local authorities that ACORN analysis was used to target the Central Office of Information marketing and advertising.

Jonathan R Shaw: We have placed in the House Library the list of postcode sectors identified through ACORN analysis for the No Ifs, No Buts Targeting Benefit Fraud campaign.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is as follows:
	 End of year performance bonuses
	DWP employees in pay bands below the senior civil service are eligible for an annual individual performance bonus if they attain a top, higher or majority rating under the annual performance and development system. The amount of bonus awarded is differentiated on the basis of an employee's pay band and the performance level achieved.
	For the senior civil service end of year bonuses are determined on an individual basis by the relevant DWP SCS Pay Committee.
	Performance awards are payable in July and are attributable to performance in the previous financial year. In the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 financial years a total of 40.68 million, 36.61 million and 23.32 million has been paid respectively. This is broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Department total 
			  Financial year  Total paid ( million)  Total number of recipients 
			 2006-07 40.68 116,096 
			 2007-08 36.61 111,943 
			 2008-09 23.32 107,726 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Total below SCS 
			  Financial year  Total paid ( million)  Total number of recipients 
			 2006-07 39.01 115,896 
			 2007-08 34.88 111,741 
			 2008-09 21.50 107,518 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Total SCS 
			  Financial year  Total paid ( million)  Total number of recipients 
			 2006-07 1.67 200 
			 2007-08 1.73 202 
			 2008-09 1.82 208 
			  Notes:  1. The information in tables 1 and 2 is based on the numbers of employees recorded on the DWP payroll systems as having received a qualifying performance mark. These are headcount.  2. Some individuals may have received more than one type of bonus payment in the year, which is why the information has been presented separately and not as an aggregated total.  3. The performance bonus is paid in the financial year following the performance year of 1 April to 31 March.  4. The total amount paid includes Employers National Insurance Contribution (ERNIC).  5. In-year cash bonus data was previously held on a separate IT system. Data from this system can be obtained only from a third party and there would be a cost ascribed to this provision. This would bring the cost of answering this PQ to above the threshold considered proportionate.  6. These figures are the best available. 
		
	
	 Special bonus and voucher payments
	Individuals may also be entitled to special bonus payments either as cash or retail vouchers. Vouchers, as an alternative to cash payments, were introduced in May 2006 These are one-off recognition awards, payable at any time during the performance year and are not linked to the annual pay award.
	It is not possible to provide separate data for in-year cash bonuses across three years. However, the cost in a typical year for cash bonuses is around 2.7 million with payments made to approximately 11,250 individuals (based on 2007-08 payments).
	The cost for voucher payments was 0.9 million in 2006-07, 1.77 million in 2007-08 and 1.03 million in 2008-09.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims have been  (a) received and  (b) approved for disability living allowance for children below the age of (i) 18, (ii) 16 and (iii) 10 years in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Disability Living Allowance cases in payment by age for those aged less than 18 
			   All  Under 10  10-15  16-17 
			 August 1992 103,100 61,500 34,100 7,500 
			 May 1993 130,700 77,600 43,200 9,900 
			 May 1994 149,000 87,200 49,600 12,200 
			 May 1995 171,100 99,600 57,600 13,900 
			 May 1996 189,200 108,700 65,100 15,400 
			 May 1997 207,600 117,200 73,800 16,600 
			 May 1998 222,200 123,000 80,800 18,400 
			 May 1999 233,300 124,000 88,800 20,500 
			 May 2000 242,000 124,400 96,600 21,000 
			 May 2001 256,600 126,700 107,000 22,900 
			 May 2002 279,540 136,840 116,310 26,400 
			 May 2003 295,710 139,490 126,790 29,430 
			 May 2004 307,210 140,060 134,540 32,610 
			 May 2005 319,580 140,960 142,780 35,840 
			 May 2006 328,200 140,530 149,160 38,520 
			 May 2007 338,100 140,170 155,940 42,000 
			 May 2008 351,970 143,150 162,960 45,860 
			  Notes: 1. May 2002-08 figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. August 1992 - May 2001 figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. August 1992 is the earliest data available.  Sources: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (May 2002-08) DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. (August 1992 to May 2001) 
		
	
	The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 percent data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, the proportions derived should be applied to the overall 100 percent total for the benefit. Users should refer to the Guidance for Users at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Disability Living Allowance: Fuels

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of disability living allowance likely to be spent on the recipient's fuel bills.

Jonathan R Shaw: No estimate has been made. Recipients of disability living allowance are free to spend their benefit according to their own priorities.

Discrimination: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to extend the consultation period for Improving Protection From Disability Discrimination in line with criterion 2 of the Government's Code of Practice, as set out by the Cabinet Office; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 2 January 2009
	The Government have no plans to extend the consultation period on Improving Protection From Disability Discrimination.
	I explained in my foreword to the consultation document that it was necessary to have a short consultation period to ensure that proper consideration could be given to how any legislative proposal would fit with the provisions in the forthcoming Equality Bill.
	In order to obtain an appropriately broad range of input to the consultation, the written consultation was supplemented by a range of discussions with key stakeholders including representatives from the fields of disability, equality, business, advice and the voluntary sector.

Employment and Support Allowance: Manpower

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the  (a) longest,  (b) shortest and  (c) average length of contract offered to temporary staff employed specifically to support the introduction of employment support allowance was;
	(2)  at which locations those staff appointed by Jobcentre Plus specifically to support the introduction of employment support allowance worked; and how many worked at each such location;
	(3)  how many of the 2000 staff originally appointed to support the introduction of employment support allowance are  (a) still working in their original role,  (b) employed on temporary contracts elsewhere in Jobcentre Plus and  (c) employed on permanent contracts elsewhere in Jobcentre Plus.

Jonathan R Shaw: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions in relation to the temporary staff recruited to support the introduction of Employment and Support Allowance. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus recruited 2125 people, including temporary staff, to support the introduction of Employment Support Allowance, as part of our workforce plans for the whole business requirement. They were deployed specifically to backfill other core delivery areas, to release our existing staff to deliver Employment Support Allowance. Temporary contracts are usually offered on the start of employment for a period of up to 26 weeks, although due to recent operational needs, some contracts have now been extended beyond this date. Our Resource Management reporting system does not allow us to identify the average contract length, contract status or by location for someone who has been recruited to work on Employment and Support Allowance backfill. This is because these staff resources are accounted for as part of our wider business resource.
	From the recruits brought in over the summer 2008, there have been some conversions from temporary to permanent/fixed term contracts, although numbers are small. Unfortunately, we are not able to identify on a cost effective basis where these individuals are still working on the original role they were employed to undertake or if they are now undertaking a new role.

Employment Schemes

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people expected to gain access to the scheme announced for people unemployed for six months or more in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The 500 million package of further support that we announced on 12 January 2009 includes four options: a job with a recruitment subsidy; support to start a business; volunteering opportunities, and work-related training. We expect to help a total of about 500,000 people through these options over the next two years, starting from April.
	The recruitment subsidies, support to start a business and volunteering opportunities will be available in England, Wales and Scotland and we would expect them to be spread proportionately between them. The work-related training option will apply just to England.
	In Northern Ireland, the provision of employment and skills services is the responsibility of the devolved Administration, who will continue to determine their own priorities for supporting jobseekers.

Employment Schemes

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what terms and conditions will be set for employers in relation to  (a) applying for and  (b) using an Employers' Golden Hello;
	(2)  whether he plans to set a limit on the number of Employers' Golden Hello incentives available to each employer.

Tony McNulty: On 12 January, the Government announced a package of additional support worth 500 million for people who are still unemployed after six months. This additional support will be available from April 2009 and includes making available an expanded range of work and training options that a Jobcentre Plus adviser would be able to offer customers.
	One of these options will be jobs supported by recruitment subsidies. Eligible customers will attract a 1,000 recruitment subsidy and Train to Gain funding worth on average 1,500.
	The recruitment subsidy will be offered to employers who are committed to working with us to recruit jobless people, primarily through local employment partnerships. The subsidy will be targetedemployers will not be able to claim it by right and we will not make any payments if the employer has dismissed or made redundant any existing employees in order to recruit someone under this option.
	Further details of how the subsidies will be delivered are still under discussion, and we will involve businesses and trade unions in those discussions. Subject to these discussions, and in line with current practice in the new deals, we do not intend to set a limit on the number of incentives available to each employer.

Employment Services: Redundancy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on providing a rapid response service for employees in Scotland threatened with redundancy.

Tony McNulty: I met with Fiona Hyslop MSP, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on 27 November 2008 to discuss what action would be taken in Scotland to address issues arising from the current economic situation. One of the matters for discussion at the meeting was an agreement that officials work closely together to respond to the economic downturn.
	We agreed to address a conference in Glasgow on 9 February that will bring together all those involved in dealing with redundancies at a local level to consider how we can further improve the service. This will include discussion about Jobcentre Plus's Rapid Response Service.
	Within Scotland, Jobcentre Plus is an active participant in a long-standing Scottish Government initiative called Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE), which provides a consistent and co-ordinated public sector response to redundancy.

European Social Fund

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the European Social Fund spending announced on 15 October 2008 and 4 November 2008 has been assigned to employment projects; what those projects are; and how much in total has been  (a) assigned and  (b) spent to date.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 18 December 2008
	The 50 million of European Social Fund money announced on 15 October 2008 will support retraining and skills for people who are currently facing redundancy and those looking for work, so that they can quickly move back into sustainable employment. Provision will be delivered through the Learning and Skills Council, which plans to invite tenders in January 2009, with a view to projects being in place in spring 2009.
	The 27 million of European Social Fund money announced on 4 November 2008 will support innovative projects both to extend employment opportunities and to develop workforce skills. Of the 27 million, about 17 million will support projects to extend employment opportunities, although a precise figure cannot be provided until the application process is completed. The deadline for applications is 16 January 2009, and projects are expected to start in spring 2009. Information on successful projects will be available at that stage.

Housing Benefit: Fraud

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much it cost to establish the telephone hotline for reporting suspected cases of housing benefit fraud; and what annual expenditure his Department incurs in operating the service;
	(2)  how many of the cases of suspected housing benefit fraud reported via the online form or telephone hotline have led to a conviction in each month of the last two years;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of reports submitted by telephone and online have correctly identified individuals committing housing benefit fraud in each month of the last two years;
	(4)  how many people have used the telephone hotline for reporting housing benefit fraud in each month of the last two years;
	(5)  how many people have used the online form for reporting individuals committing housing benefit fraud in each month of the last two years.

Tony McNulty: The National Benefit Fraud Hotline was set up in August 1996. It was extended to include housing benefit fraud referrals in September 2003, information on the costs of extending the service for housing benefit fraud are not available.
	The annual expenditure incurred in operating the National Benefit Fraud Hotline for 2007-08 is in the following table.
	
		
			  2007-08 spend 
			   000 
			 Staff costs 904 
			 Non staff costs 345 
			 Vertex call centre(1) 338 
			 Total 1,587 
			 (1) The Preston contact centre is dedicated to handling National Benefit Fraud Hotline calls with additional support from Vertex. Vertex is the outsourced provider of the out of hours telephone contact centre service. Vertex costs are included in the figures.  Notes: 1. The operational costs of administering the National Benefit Fraud Hotline include the costs of administering the housing benefit fraud service. These costs cannot be separated. 2. The table contains directly attributable costs of the National Benefit Fraud Hotline; however there are further costs across DWP that cannot be separately identified, namely: Actual telephone call costs that cannot be separated from overall DWP Corporate IT costs Overflow work taken on by other sites at Grimsby Europarc and Telford Plaza Follow on costs such as the cost of pursuing prosecutions. 3. The National Benefit Fraud Hotline started to do tax evasion work in November/December 2007 and tax evasion costs are included for four months of 2007-08.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Finance Directorate using DWP financial systems 
		
	
	Information regarding referrals made to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline or online is not available by benefit type. Therefore, it is not possible to provide specific information on the outcomes of housing benefit fraud referrals received from either the hotline or online.
	Information on the total number of housing benefit referrals from all sources accepted for investigation, prosecutions and convictions for the last two financial years is in the following table.
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			 Referrals accepted for investigation 190,898 166,979 
			 Prosecutions 7,717 5,885 
			 Convictions 6,234 5,734 
			  Source: Local authority Housing Benefit administrative returns

Jobcentre Plus: Breastfeeding

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2008,  Official Report, column 914W, on Jobcentre Plus: breastfeeding, what the outcome was of the review of the policy on breastfeeding in Jobcentre Plus offices.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves, dated 27 January 2009:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2008,  Official Report, column 914W, on Jobcentre Plus: breastfeeding, what the outcome was of the review of the policy on breastfeeding in Jobcentre Plus offices. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	I can confirm that this review has now been completed and operational guidance was updated on 19 December 2008 to include a paragraph ensuring that all Jobcentre staff are made aware that, wherever possible, every effort must be made to provide a mother wishing to breastfeed her baby with a suitable area to do so.

Jobcentre Plus: Oxfordshire

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many extra people will be employed by Jobcentre Plus in Oxfordshire on the Rapid Response Service, with reference to the Pre-Budget Report;
	(2)  how many of the extra 2,000 staff at jobcentres proposed in the Pre-Budget Report will be employed in Oxfordshire.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many extra people will be employed by Jobcentre Plus in Oxfordshire on the Rapid Response Service, with reference to the Pre-Budget Report and how many of the extra 2,000 staff at jobcentres proposed in the Pre-Budget Report will be employed in Oxfordshire. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	No additional staff have been specifically recruited to be employed on the Rapid Response Service in Oxfordshire. Each District has appointed a Rapid Response Manager and we have a pool of 10 Rapid Response volunteer staff from Oxfordshire District who can be deployed where additional help is required.
	Whilst it is not possible at this stage to say how many of the extra staff proposed in the Pre-Budget Report will be employed in Oxfordshire, under our existing plans between December 2008 and January 2009 we are recruiting 99 permanent staff within the Jobcentre Plus District of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Of these 99 recruits, 21 will be based in offices in Oxfordshire. Further recruitment is planned into 2009 but it is too early to state which District or County they will be allocated.
	I have asked Lynn Conolly, the District Manager for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, to meet with you to discuss workforce plans for Oxfordshire and to explain how Jobcentre Plus is responding locally to the economic downturn.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what records Jobcentre Plus keeps of the  (a) number,  (b) direction,  (c) content and  (d) outcome of telephone calls to Jobcentre Plus helplines from members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what records Jobcentre Plus keeps of the  (a) number,  (b) direction,  (c) content and  (d) outcome of telephone calls to Jobcentre Plus helplines from members of the public; and if he will make a statement. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus keeps a record of volumes of calls made to each of the service lines we operate. We do not however keep a detailed record of the content of each call made. We operate over 10 different service lines ranging from benefit claims to job matching and the National Benefit Fraud hotline. Jobcentre Plus does not keep a record of the outcome of each call. However, a recording is taken and retained of all calls received with the exception of those made to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline and the Tax Evasion Hotline. Calls made to these services are not recorded as we aim to protect anonymity.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls were received by Jobcentre Plus call centres in each of the last 24 months; what the average waiting time was for such calls to be dealt with in each month; and how many dropped calls there were in each month.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 19 January 2009
	 The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked the Acting Chief Executive to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves, dated 27 January 2009:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many calls were received by Jobcentre Plus call centres in each of the last 24 months; what the average waiting time was for such calls to be dealt with in each month; and how many dropped calls there were in each month. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus currently has 31 contact centres offering telephony services to our customers.
	The attached table provides information on:
	the number of calls offered and answered by Jobcentre Plus contact centres for the past 24 months.
	the number of 'abandoned' calls each month for the past 24 months. This is the number of callers who hang up (terminate the call) whilst waiting in the queue for their call to be answered.
	average speed of answer times. This is the average length of time it takes for a call to be answered.
	Jobcentre Plus contact centres have only been able to collate information on speed of answer times centrally since July 2008, following the introduction of a new telephony platform which enabled this information to be recorded.
	
		
			   January 2007  February 2007  March 2007 
			 Calls offered (Number) 1,627,416 1,527,087 1,710,681 
			 Calls answered (Number) 1,553,087 1,454,007 1,647,370 
			 Percentage of calls answered 95.4 95.2 96.3 
			 Calls abandoned (Number) 74,329 73,080 63,311 
		
	
	
		
			   April 2007  May 2007  June 2007  July 2007  Aug ust  2007  Sept ember  2007 
			 Calls offered (Number) 1,267,502 1,490,654 1,381,732 1,486,522 1,770,187 1,460,400 
			 Calls answered (Number) 1,191,101 1,429,822 1,300,032 1,350,761 1,622,580 1,362,994 
			 Percentage of calls answered 94 95.9 94.1 90.9 91.7 93.3 
			 Calls abandoned (Number) 76,401 60,832 81,700 135,761 147,607 97,406 
		
	
	
		
			   October 2007  November 2007  December 2007  January 2008  February 2008  March 2008 
			 Calls offered (Number) 1,348,901 1,618,436 851,229 1,987,101 1,441,739 1,340,837 
			 Calls answered (Number) 1,285,827 1,516,795 797,772 1,862,192 1,374,644 I 1,118,666 
			 Percentage of calls answered 95.3 93.7 93.7 93.7 95.3 83.4 
			 Calls abandoned (Number) 63,074 101,641 53,457 124,909 67,095 222,171 
		
	
	
		
			   April 2008  May 2008  June 2008  July 2008  August 2008  Septem b er 2008 
			 Calls offered (Number) 1,373,527 1,599,042 1,558,995 1,881,447 1,392,754 1,514,106 
			 Calls answered (Number) 1,258,862 1,482,936 1,195,905 1,622,186 1,304,201 1,360,135 
			 Percentage of calls answered 91.7 92.7 76.7 86.2 93.6 89.8 
			 Calls abandoned 114,665 116,106 363,090 259,261 88,553 153,971 
			 Average speed of answer n/a n/a n/a 1 min 30s 1 min 17s 1 min 45s 
		
	
	
		
			   October 2008  November 2008  December 2008 
			 Calls offered (Number) 1,933,282 1,732,608 940,345 
			 Calls answered (Number) 1,729,942 1,404,695 845,350 
			 Percentage of calls answered 89.5% 81.1% 89.9% 
			 Calls abandoned (Number) 203,340 327,913 94,995 
			 Average speed of answer 1 min 40s 2 min 52s 1 min 58s

Jobseeker's Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets have been set for Jobcentre Plus offices in relation to  (a) jobseeker's allowance and  (b) employment and support allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Jobcentre Plus has six national targets; these apply to its whole range of activities including the administration of Jobseeker's Allowance. Employment and support allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008 for new customers claiming on the grounds of disability or ill health. Employment and support allowance will be woven into the existing performance framework for Jobcentre Plus.
	The six national targets are:
	Job Outcome TargetThis is the measure of our success in helping people in to work. It is based on an automated reporting system, which reports movements into work and off benefit by matching Jobcentre Plus and HMRC data.
	Customer Service TargetThis measures Jobcentre Plus' performance in meeting the standards and commitments set out in the organisation's customer and employer charters.
	Monetary Value of Fraud and ErrorContact Centre Directorate has a direct impact on this target by taking appropriate action when fraud is suspected during interaction with the customer and more specifically through the referrals that are generated from calls to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline .
	Average Actual Clearance TimesThis is measured through the processing of claims within specified average actual clearance times, for Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance18 days, 11 days and 12 days respectively.
	Employer Engagement TargetThis is measured by mystery shopper calls made by an independent organisation and is a measure for professionalism and information provided over the phone.
	Interventions Delivery TargetThis is a measure of the efficiency of Jobcentre Plus in booking customers in for work-focused interviews within set timescales to provide effective employment support and advice.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether contractors delivering back-to-work services for jobseeker's allowance claimants will refer non-compliant claimants to Jobcentre Plus before or after a decision is made on whether to impose sanctions on the client.

Tony McNulty: The provider will raise entitlement and sanction doubts and refer the relevant information to Jobcentre Plus before any decisions on sanctions are made. The provider will be required to try to contact the customer to give them the opportunity to explain the reason for their non-compliance, before passing all relevant information to Jobcentre Plus. Jobcentre Plus will be responsible for handling all subsequent decisions on benefit sanctions and will notify the customer of the outcome. The provider will continue to be responsible for supporting the customer back to work for the balance of their time on Flexible New Deal.

Local Employment Partnerships

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average public expenditure per job provided under the local employment partnerships programme has been since the programme's inception.

Tony McNulty: The information is not yet available. The In Work Better Off Impact Assessment (DWP, July 2007) estimated a cost of 400 for each person finding work through this initiative. Actual costs to public expenditure may be lower. People on benefit who find work will gain financially as their in-work income from earnings and tax credits will be higher than their out-of-work income from benefits and tax credits. A full evaluation of local employment partnerships is planned. Reports will be published 2009-11 using a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Local Employment Partnerships

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employers in each region have signed-up to local employment partnerships in each quarter since local employment partnerships were established.

Tony McNulty: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers of employers signed up to local employment partnerships 
			   Number of employers( 1)  signed up to local employment partnerships:  Total employers signed up to local employment partnerships 
			  Jobcentre Plus region  by September 2008  during quarter ended December 2008  
			 East Midlands 2,189 1,185 3,374 
			 East of England 4,016 2,195 6,211 
			 London 4,285 2,060 6,345 
			 North East 3,073 1,849 4,922 
			 North West 5,426 3,809 9,235 
			 South East 4,063 3,788 7,851 
			 South West 4,254 2,423 6,677 
			 West Midlands 4,412 3,762 8,174 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,577 1,349 3,926 
			 Scotland 6,327 2,120 8,447 
			 Wales 3,479 1,966 5,445 
			 
			 National totals 44,101 26,506 70,607 
			 (1) These figures represent workplaces including different branches/outlets of some larger organisations.  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative data

New Deal for Disabled People

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on supporting people with a learning disability through the New Deal for Disabled People Programme in each year since its establishment.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 19 January 2009
	New deal for disabled people is a pan-disability programme open to incapacity benefit (and now employment and support allowance) customers, on a voluntary basis, with a range of health conditions or disabilities. Details of expenditure specifically related to people with a learning disability are not held.
	We are working across Government to give people with learning disabilities the support they need to access work. The Getting A Life project, which is being trialled in 10 areas, is working to identify what needs to happen to ensure that young people with severe learning disabilities leave education and go on to achieve paid employment and full lives. The Government have also made a commitment in the New Opportunities White Paper to produce an employment strategy for people with learning disabilities. The strategy will be published in the spring.

Pension Credit: Fraud

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the cost to his Department of fraud and error in the pension credit system in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: DWP estimates for fraud and error in Pension Credit for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 are contained in the DWP publications Fraud and Error in the Benefit System April 2005 to March 2006: Spending Review 2004 target baseline, Fraud and Error in the Benefit System: April 2006 to March 2007 and Fraud and Error in the Benefit System: April 2007 to March 2008, copies of which are available in the Library.

Poverty

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's definition of poverty is.

Kitty Ussher: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) on 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 2419W.

Remploy: Consultants

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many external consultants Remploy engaged between April 2005 and April 2008; and at what total cost.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 15 January 2009
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Consultants engaged by Remploy 
			   2005-2006  2006-2007  2007-2008 
			 Number of consultancy companies 28 30 67 
			 Cost () 180,400 411,600 983,000 
			  Source: Remploy

Sabbatical Leave

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether employees on extended periods of sabbatical leave on part pay are deemed to be available for work during the sabbatical period.

Jonathan R Shaw: Under jobseeker's allowance legislation employees on periods of sabbatical leave on are not deemed to be available for work.

Social Security Benefits

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to collect information on the number of EU nationals who continue to receive UK benefits on their return from the UK to their country of origin;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to collect information on expenditure on payment of benefits to people who are  (a) not UK nationals and  (b) not resident in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 19 January 2009
	There are no current plans to collect the information in the format requested.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking  (a) to tackle benefit fraud and  (b) to ensure that information about benefit fraudsters provided via public helplines is acted upon.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 19 January 2009
	The Government are committed to paying the right benefits to the right people at the right time. As part of that commitment we have specific strategies in place to tackle both fraud and error.
	We have a well defined and successful strategy for tackling benefit fraud based on preventing, detecting and deterring fraud. Our current estimate for fraud across all benefits remains at its lowest ever level at 0.6 per cent. of benefit expenditure. This is down from 2 per cent. in 2000-01.
	Our strategy initiatives include a hard hitting media campaign, cross checking information on benefit claims against other data sources as well as professionally qualified investigators. The Fraud Investigation Service ensures that the quality and professionalism of investigation is maintained to consistently high standards providing operational direction on all fraud related matters within the Department. Although the Fraud Investigation Service is managed under Jobcentre Plus, it provides fraud investigation for all the Departments benefits.
	We also continue to develop innovative new measures such as data matching with credit reference agencies.
	We are also toughening our sanctions regime by introducing a first-offence benefit penalty as part of the Welfare Reform Bill.
	Every call to the national benefit fraud hotline is examined by the Department and where appropriate the case is then passed to either the Fraud Investigation Service for investigation or to compliance teams in Jobcentres, who will scrutinise the relevant benefit claim, interview the customer and make appropriate adjustments to entitlements.
	In 2007-08 there were almost 250,000 referrals to the benefit fraud hotline by phone, via the internet and in writing, as a result of which nearly 18 million worth of recoverable overpayments were identified.

Take-up Task Force

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his Department's press release of 5 January 2009 on the Take-up Taskforce, what steps he expects the Taskforce to take consequent upon the responses it received from local authorities.

Kitty Ussher: The Take Up Taskforce has issued a Call for Evidence of examples of good practice across the UK relating to increasing take-up of benefits and tax credits by parents. The deadline for local authorities and their partners to submit evidence is 20 February 2009.
	The evidence will help to inform the Taskforce's recommendations to Government on ways to help local services support parents to take up their benefit and tax credit entitlements, in order to contribute to tackling child poverty. Recommendations will be reported in spring 2009.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Finance

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the adult Learning and Skills Council budget for  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) England was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Si�n Simon: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) budget for adult learning was set out in the latest grant letter to the LSC issued on 18 November 2008. For 2008-09 the budget is 4,275 million rising to 4,525 million in 2009-10.
	The LSC makes decisions about allocations of funding to specific areas based on strategic discussions with FE Colleges and providers, partners and other organisations. This ensures that the needs of the local communities are met and that the activity delivered supports the council's key priorities and targets. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with further information including the most up-to-date figures available for Hertfordshire. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Apprentices

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the current economic climate on the number of employers taking on new apprentices;
	(2)  how many apprentices have had their apprenticeships terminated by their employer in each  (a) year from 1997 to 2002 and  (b) month since January 2003.

Si�n Simon: Last year a record number of people started an apprenticeship: 225,000 in 2007/08. We recognise that the economic downturn means that some employers will recruit fewer apprentices but others expect to take on more than they do now. Last week the Prime Minster announced a 140 million package to provide an extra 35,000 apprenticeship places over the coming year. I am confident that by expanding the number of apprentices in new areas and increasing provision in the public sector we will continue to offer a high quality training opportunity for young people and adults. We do not hold data centrally about the number of apprentices who have had their apprenticeships terminated by their employer.

Apprentices

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what percentage of students entering  (a) apprenticeships and  (b) advanced apprenticeships were already in employment in each year since 1997.

Si�n Simon: Information on what route apprentices have come from is not currently available. However, a national apprenticeships vacancy matching service is being developed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide a high quality service to employers wishing to recruit apprentices, and to young people and adults considering an apprenticeship. This service will help deliver the objective outlined in World-class Apprenticeships to expand and improve the quality of our apprenticeships programme. The service will be available across England by April 2009. Part of the future role of the service will be to provide the new National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) with management information on apprenticeships.

Apprentices

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage people to take up apprenticeships.

Si�n Simon: We are taking a wide range of steps to encourage more people to take up apprenticeships and to encourage more employers to offer high quality places. In 2007/08 we saw a record high 225,000 people starting an apprenticeship. We also believe apprenticeships can play a key role in our response to the current economic downturn. The Prime Minister recently announced a 140 million package to provide an extra 35,000 apprenticeship places over the coming year in both the public and private sectors to help strengthen the country's competitiveness.
	On 12 January 2009 the new online National Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service went live. The first chief executive of the new National Apprenticeship Service takes up post on 2 February 2009 and our National Apprenticeship Service will be fully functional from 1 April 2009 with a remit to expand apprenticeships and provide a single point of contact for employers and apprentices. To raise awareness and encourage more employers to take on or offer more apprenticeships a new national advertising campaign will commence in February fronted by Sir Alan Sugar.
	Our New Opportunities White Paper published 13 January 2009 announced the Government's commitment to extending group training associations; ensuring all apprentices have clear progression routes; and commitment to work towards an entitlement to an apprenticeship for all young people leaving care. Looking to the future, we have set ambitious targets for the growth of the apprenticeships programme. Apprenticeships provisions will be taken forward as part of the forthcoming Children, Skills and Learning Bill, including provisions to ensure that an apprenticeship place is available for all suitably qualified young people by 2013. The Education and Skills Act 2008 requires schools to provide impartial careers information, advice and guidance. The National Apprenticeship Service will support schools in providing advice on apprenticeships.

Charities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills to which  (a) charities and  (b) voluntary organisations his Department has provided funding since it was established; and how much funding was provided to each.  [Official Report, 3 November 2009, Vol. 498, c. 7MC.]

Si�n Simon: The Department makes payments to charities and voluntary bodies. However, to provide details on all of these would incur disproportionate cost.
	Funding provided to charities that received over 100,000 is as follows:
	
		
			  000 
			  Name of body  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Royal Anniversary Trust(1) 166 167 (2) 
			 National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)(3) 250 95 32 
			 Social Mobility Foundation  121 100 
			 UK Council for International Student Affairs 444 515 523 
			 (1) Royal Anniversary Trust funding will be confirmed at year end (2) Tbc (3) NFER funding is year to date only 
		
	
	In addition there are several charitable bodies that are contracted to provide services for the Department, which makes the following payments:
	
		
			  000 
			  Name of body  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Lifelong Learning UK 1,299 13,081 19,500 
			 NIACE(1) 2,574 10,004 5,098 
			 SKILL(2) 100 160 100 
			 PET(3) 256 255 268 
			 (1) National Institute for Adult Continuing Education (2) National Bureau for Students with Disabilities (3) Prisoners Education Trust 
		
	
	Higher education institutions have charitable status and are funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (a non-departmental public body of DIUS).
	Some of the Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are registered charities. These NDPBs are contracted to provide agreed outcomes. The funding provided to these bodies by the Department and predecessor Departments are as follows:
	
		
			  000 
			  Name of body  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Design Council 6,179 6,069 6,035 
			 Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) 82,773 109,764  
			 Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS)   100,000 
			  Note: QIA was part of the merger to form LSIS in October 2008; hence there are no figures for QIA in 2008-09.

Departmental Air Travel

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many official journeys  (a) he and his predecessors and  (b) his officials made by plane since his Department was established.

Si�n Simon: Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code and the civil service management code respectively.
	From the period July 2007 to date the Secretary of State for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills undertook 12 official journeys by air and his civil servants undertook 1836 official journeys by air. These figures have been provided by our service provider; however there could potentially be a low number of official air journeys undertaken by the Department's Secretary of State and his civil servants that were booked outside of our service provider route where an official expenses claim was raised; this information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings since his Department's inception; how much has been spent on wallpaper; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of machinery of government changes in June 2007. Therefore, any details prior to this date are not available.
	In 2007-08 the Department spent 4.874 million on leasehold improvements. This was mainly in respect of its building at Kingsgate House. In 2008-09 it is planned to spend some 103,000 on its leasehold improvements.
	The Department pays rent for its occupancy of Kingsgate House to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. It also pays a smaller amount for its occupancy in Moorfoot, Sheffield, to the Department for Children Schools and Families. This charge also includes facilities management charges which comprise, among other things, charges for routine maintenance, utilities, security, waste disposals and insurance.
	No money has been spent, or is planned to be spent, on wallpaper.

Departmental Catering

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which (a) food and  (b) drinks suppliers have been used by his Department since it was established; and how much his Department paid to each such supplier.

Si�n Simon: The Department does not manage the buildings that it occupies. Accordingly, food and drink purchased for events at DIUS offices is generally provided by the catering contractors of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Catering at events held elsewhere is generally provided by the venue.
	Further details, including expenditure on food and drink, are available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Catering

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what  (a) directly-operated and  (b) franchised catering outlets his Department and its agencies provide for staff.

Si�n Simon: Almost all of the Department's staff are based in buildings managed by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (in London) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (in Sheffield, Runcorn and Darlington). The catering facilities provided by these Departments for their own staff are also available to DIUS staff. A small number of DIUS staff are based at Polaris House, Swindon, and have access to the catering facilities provided by the Research Councils for their own staff. Staff of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory and the small number of DIUS staff based in Teddington can use the catering facilities at the National Physical Laboratory. The Intellectual Property Office staff can use the on-site catering facilities provided by the Office for National Statistics.

Departmental Data Protection

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many members of staff in his Department have been  (a) investigated,  (b) suspended and  (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to his Department in each year since its inception.

Si�n Simon: None, in all categories.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what conclusions his Department has reached in fulfilment of its duty under section 3.111 of the statutory code of practice of the disability equality duty.

Si�n Simon: The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills published its first Single Equality scheme in December 2008. It sets out the Departments commitments and plans for reporting on progress on all equality issues, including disability. Copies are available on the DIUS website at:
	http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/index.html

Departmental Finance

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much it cost to establish his Department.

Si�n Simon: The costs of setting up the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in June 2007 were met within the existing departmental budgets of the former Department for Education and Skills (now Department for Children, Schools and Families) and the former Department for Trade and Industry (now Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.)
	Further information on all departmental expenditure is available in the Department's Resource Accounts:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0708/hc08/0864/0864.pdf
	and departmental Annual Report:
	http://www.dius.gov.uk/docs/about/21076_DIUS%20ARA_Web_NEW.pdf

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1126-27W, on departmental ICT, what the  (a) expected completion date and  (b) estimated cost of each of the projects was at their outset.

Si�n Simon: According to our records, the following lists the projects currently being undertaken by DIUS and its agencies. Also shown are the originally expected dates and costs and the latest forecasts dates and total costs at completion.
	
		
			  Projects  Expected completion date  Estimated cost when complete (000)  Original expected due date  Original expected cost (000) 
			 Directory ServicesDIUS March 2009 80 January 2009 80 
			 Website Re-DesignIntellectual Property Office (IPO) December 2008 664 November 2008 664 
			 Office/Exchange 2007IPO December 2008 960 December 2008 960 
			 Register MaintenanceIPO April 2010 1,600 January 2010 1,600 
			 Enforcement Database RebuildNational Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) November 2008 40.5 August 2008 40.53 
			 Time recording systemNWML April 2009 24.9 October 2008 24.9 
			 Website DevelopmentNWML December 2008 19.9 December 2008 19.9 
			 Intranet DevelopmentNWML January 2009 9.3-14.1 December 2008 (1) 
			 (1) Full scope and cost not yet signed off

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with reference to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 503W, on departmental personnel, how many  (a) staff without posts and  (b) priority movers there are in his Department; how many of the staff without posts were classified as such upon return from maternity leave; and how many of the staff without posts have been classified as such for at least (i) six and (ii) 12 months.

Si�n Simon: There are currently nine staff in the Department who are classed as priority movers, none of whom returned directly from maternity leave. All nine priority movers have been without a permanent post for six months and four staff for 12 months.
	The Department has introduced a new brokerage service in January 2009 in support of active matching of staff into posts in the Department and wider Civil Service. All staff are engaged in project work and short-term business priority posts until a permanent position is secured.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by his Department were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in each year from 1997 to 2008; and how many of these were upheld by the ASA in each year.

Si�n Simon: The Advertising Standards Authority received seven complaints about seven cases between 1 January 1997-21 December 2008, and none of these were upheld.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since its inception; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case.

Si�n Simon: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department sponsors a number of advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which provide independent expert advice on a number of issues. Appointments to NDPBs are governed by the principles set out in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice. Summary information is published in 'Public Bodies' which can be accessed online at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.
	or copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Summary information on the political activity of individuals appointed to posts regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice is published each year in the Commissioner's Annual Report.
	In addition, the Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS.

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make it his policy that temporary and permanent employees of his Department employed at the same grade receive the same hourly rate of pay.

Si�n Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 18 December,  Official Report, column 1057W.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes in each of the last three years.

Si�n Simon: Since its inception, the Department has spent a total of 566,000.

Departmental Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008; and how much was spent on such bonuses in each of those years.

Si�n Simon: Annual performance bonuses are paid to staff in the SCS in line with central guidance from Cabinet Office. The percentage of the SCS pay bill to be spent on SCS performance bonuses is determined each year by the senior salaries review body. The Department was created on 28 June 2007. Since then 63 bonuses have been awarded for the performance year 2007-08 worth a total of 449,994.

Departmental Procurement

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 10 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created as a result of machinery of government changes in June 2007. Therefore, any details prior to this date are not available.
	The information is not available in the format requested as the Department does not separately identify its suppliers as small or medium-sized businesses. The Department does not discriminate by size because many small or medium-sized businesses can be found within larger supply chains.
	Until October 2008, the Department was required to monitor and publish payment performance against a 30-day payment target and does not therefore currently publish information about payment within 10 days. However, following the Prime Minister's commitment of 8 October that central Government Departments will make payment within 10 days, the Department will additionally report 10-day payment performance from the period January to March 2009.
	The Department does hold information on the proportions of valid invoices for all goods and services procured and paid within 30 days of receipt by the Department and its agencies in 2007-08. These are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills 99.4 
			 National Weights and Measures Laboratory 97.0 
			 UK Intellectual Property Office 98.2 
			  Source: Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 for each of these bodies.

Departmental Surveys

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department's central media and communication unit has spent on public surveys since its inception.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was formed in June 2007, following the machinery of government changes.
	Since its inception, DIUS central communications unit is estimated to have spent 680,000 on qualitative research and omnibus or other quantitative surveys of the public. Of this total an estimated 275,000 has been spent on qualitative research (primarily campaign development) and 405,000 on quantitative or omnibus research (primarily campaign evaluation).

Departmental Telephone Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what use  (a) his Department and  (b) service providers under contract to his Department make of (i) 0844 and 0845 telephone numbers and (ii) revenue-sharing telephone numbers for calls from members of the public; for which services such numbers are used; what prefixes are used for revenue-sharing numbers; how much revenue has accrued from revenue-sharing numbers in each of the last five years; what consideration his Department has given to introducing 03-prefixed telephone numbers for calls to all such services; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: Comprehensive information about 0845 and similar numbers is not readily available centrally and to respond fully would involve an extensive information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold. However, using a variety of information and data sources, I can confirm that the following numbers are in use:
	
		
			  Access services  Telephone numbers 
			 The UK Intellectual Property OfficeStaff incident number 0845 603 4599 
			 The UK Intellectual Property Office(Minicom) 0845 922 2250 
			 The UK Intellectual Property Office 0845 950 0505 
			   
			 Biotech Support 0870 191 0111 
			 Information Society Support 0870 191 0112 
			 NMP Helpline 0870 191 0113 
			 1ST in Manufacturing 0870 191 0114 
			 SME Helpline 0870 191 0115 
			 Beta Technology (Research and Innovation Support). No longer promoted and routes to 0870 600 6080 0870 191 0116 
			 National 1ST Programme Helpline. No longer promoted and routes to 0870 600 6080 0870 606 1515 
			   
			 FP7UK Generic Helpline 0870 600 6080 
			 Transport (including Aeronautics) Helpline 0870 191 0117 
			 Space Helpline 0870 191 0118 
			 Health 0870 191 0111 
			 Information and Communication Technologies 0870 191 0112 
			 Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies 0870 191 0113 
			 Regions of knowledge 0870 191 0114 
			 SMEs 0870 191 0115 
			   
			 DIUS Order Line 0845 602 8032 
		
	
	The service for the separate numbers for specific National Contact Points within the FP7UK consortium are run not by DIUS but by external contractors managed by the Technology Strategy Board. The average number of calls to all of these helplines is 240 per month. We do not have data on revenue generated.

Departmental Work Experience

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many graduate interns his Department currently employs.

Si�n Simon: The Department took two interns on the Summer Development Programme and one intern on the Summer Placement Scheme in 2008 through bids to Cabinet Office for their Summer Diversity Internship programmes which aim to attract high calibre people from diverse backgrounds.
	The Department and Department for Children, Schools and Families have made a combined bid for 15 Summer Development Interns and 15 Summer Placement Interns for 2009.

Educational Institutions: Expenditure

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent on college buildings in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: In 1997-98, the total capital expenditure in Further Education colleges in England in the financial year 1997-98 was nil.
	In total since that time, this Government have invested 2.4 billion and will be investing a record further 2.3 billion across the next three years.
	Capital funding for further education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and I have asked Mark Haysom, the LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.

Further Education: Offenders

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether there are any restrictions on people on the sex offenders register being able to enrol at further education and sixth form colleges; whether colleges are entitled to know if any of their students are on the sex offenders register; and whether the police are expected to inform colleges if they believe a student on the sex offenders register may pose a threat to other students, including those aged under 18 years.

Si�n Simon: There are no specific restrictions on sex offenders being able to enrol at further education or sixth form colleges. Nor is there any general entitlement for colleges or sixth form colleges to know whether any of their students are sexual offenders subject to current notification requirements or who have been subject to such requirements in the past. However, under the terms of the national multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) guidance, the police, and other MAPPA agencies, are required to consider whether to disclose information to third parties (including schools and colleges) in all MAPPA eligible cases. This includes all offenders subject to the notification requirements.
	We expect in relevant cases that the police will provide information about an individual where a college needs to be aware of that individual's previous convictions if they affect the safety of other learners, young or old. The detail of that information would depend on the particular individual and the nature of the offence and would be provided following a proper assessment of risk of harm to others.

Further Education: Standards

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the projected expenditure on the further education improvement body is in each of the next five years.

Si�n Simon: In 2008-09 the combined total projected expenditure by all Government Departments on the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) is expected to be 145,285,000; in 2009-10 DIUS' contribution to LSIS' total projected expenditure is expected to be 96,470,000; and in 2010-11 total DIUS expenditure is expected to be 87,470,000. Projected expenditure beyond 2010-11 is not available.

Learning and Skills Council for England

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many capital projects were approved under the Learning and Skills Council capital project funding in  (a) February,  (b) March,  (c) April,  (d) May,  (e) June,  (f) July,  (g) August,  (h) September,  (i) October,  (j) November and  (k) December 2008.

Si�n Simon: It is thanks to this Government's commitment to colleges that investment in college capital projects will amount to 2.3 billion between 2007 and 2011.
	As a result of this and past spending under this Government nearly 700 projects, at 330 colleges have been agreed by the Learning and Skills Council.
	The following table describes all capital projects approved by the Learning and Skills Council for the requested period. This includes all capital proposals approved in principle and in detail, for all proposals seeking capital support from the Further Education, Adult Safeguarded Learning, and 16-19 capital funds.
	
		
			   N umber  of capital proposal approved (FE, Adult Safeguarded Learning, and 16-19) 
			  Month of approval  In detail  In principle  In total 
			 February 2008 8 3 11 
			 March 2008 14 2 16 
			 April 2008 34 9 43 
			 May 2008 17 4 21 
			 June 2008 24 10 34 
			 July 2008 27 10 37 
			 August 2008 5 2 7 
			 September 2008 11 5 16 
			 October 2008 7 2 9 
			 November 2008 7 7 14 
			 December 2008 10 1 11 
			 Total   219

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Si�n Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, on 21 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1434W, about cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
	Details of other official vehicles used by the Department are not held centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to provide.

Research: Finance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he plans to take to increase funding for research at new universities.

David Lammy: On 22 January, the Department's grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was published. This outlines the broad principles on which we expect HEFCE to base their funding allocations. This letter states that we expect HEFCE
	to continue to recognise and reward the highest levels of research excellence wherever it is found.
	It also made reference to the importance of both rewarding pockets of excellence, and of adequately supporting the institutions with the largest volumes of world-class research:
	I know that you will need to maintain high levels of funding for those institutions with the largest volumes of world-class research whilst rewarding and nurturing pockets of excellence elsewhere.

Research: Leukaemia

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the Medical Research Council's expenditure was on  (a) leukaemia and  (b) brain tumour research in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

David Lammy: The Medical Research Council is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research.
	The MRC is currently funding a large portfolio of site-specific and general underpinning cancer research. In 2007/08, the MRC's expenditure on cancer research amounted to 89.5 million.
	The MRC's expenditure on research related to leukaemia and brain tumours in 2005/06 to 2007/08 is as follows:
	
		
			   S pend 
			  Area  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Research related to leukaemia ( million) 13.8 13.3 14.0 
			 Research related to brain tumours () 900,000 940,000 970,000 
		
	
	The aforementioned brain tumour figures include core funding to the MRC Clinical Trials Unit in London for various clinical trials in brain cancer.
	The MRC, Cancer Research UK, Leukaemia Research and Children with Leukaemias have each committed 100,000 per annum for three years (from 1 April 2007) to the UK Children Cancer and Leukaemia Group in Leicester. Further information can be found at:
	http://www.ukccsg.org/public/about_us/introduction/activities.html.

Sector Skills Councils: Qualifications

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what advice he has received from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills on the funding and management of the cross-sector standard setting bodies;
	(2)  what recent discussions have taken place between his Department and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills on the future of cross-sector standard setting bodies.

Si�n Simon: The UK Commission for Employment and Skills has undertaken mapping work on the coverage of National Occupational Standards (NOS) and qualifications development by Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and Standard Setting Bodies (SSBs). This recognises the need for a co-ordinated approach for national occupational standards that are commonly found across all sectors of the workforce. The UK Commission will progress arrangements for ensuring consistency across SSCs and SSBs on cross-sector standards. Proposals were put to the UK Vocational Qualification Reform Programme Board in November setting out how the UK Commission intends to ensure comprehensive occupational coverage. The proposals recognise the expertise and importance of cross-sector standard setting bodies, and are currently the subject of consultation in the Devolved Administrations. In the meantime funding and management of cross-sector standard setting bodies will continue in line with current arrangements.

Skilled Workers

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which 10 employment sectors have the greatest acknowledged skills excess; and what the current level of unemployment in each sector is.

Si�n Simon: The National Employer Skills Survey is a key source of data for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in order to understand the skills shortages across industry sectors. These surveys are undertaken by an independent research organisation.
	The following table is taken from the National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) 2007 (published May 2008) and shows the number of skills shortage vacancies (SSVs) occurring in each SSC sector, and the density of these SSVs in comparison to total vacancies and employment.
	
		
			  Table 3.11: Number and density of vacancies by SSC (p. 56) 
			   Vacancies  SSVs (Skills shortage vacancies)  % of vacancies that are SSVs  SSVs per 1000 employees 
			 Unweighted base  52,867  10,399   
			 All England  619,675  130,000 21 6 
			 Lantra  8,450  2,475 29 8 
			 Cogent  6,650  1,400 21 4 
			 ProSkills UK  3,975  950 24 3 
			 Improve Ltd  5,300  550 10 2 
			 Skills-Fast UK  3,875  975 25 6 
			 Semta  23,200  7,150 31 6 
			 Energy and Utility Skills  6,100  500 8 2 
			 Construction Skills  36,700  14,625 40 14 
			 SummitSkills  8,075  2,000 25 9 
			 Automotive Skills  11,200  2,975 27 6 
			 Skillsmart Retail  52,675  7,250 14 3 
			 People 1st  67,725  12,675 19 8 
			 Go Skills  10,825  2,475 23 6 
			 Skills for Logistics  11,000  2,075 19 3 
			 Financial Services Skills Council  30,450  4,725 16 5 
			 Asset Skills  24,725  5,125 21 6 
			 e-Skills UK  22,650  6,275 28 10 
			 Government Skills  9,750  1,475 15 4 
			 Skills for Justice  3,900  275 7 1 
			 Lifelong Learning UK  19,500  2,625 13 3 
			 Skills for Health  30,500  3,850 13 2 
			 Skills for Care and Development  29,800  4,700 16 5 
			 Skillset  7,075  2,900 41 23 
			 Creative and Cultural Skills  7,325  1,650 23 8 
			 Skills Active  7,000  1,375 20 5 
			 Non-SSC employers  171,275  36,875 22 6 
			  Notes:  Figures rounded to the nearest 25. * is used where the base size was less than 25. Figures in italics denote base sizes of 25 to 49 and should be treated with caution. 
		
	
	It is evident from the table that there are no sectors which have an excess of skilled workers. All sectors have, to a varying degree, skills shortage vacancies.

Students: Bankruptcy

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many students were declared bankrupt in each of the last 15 years;
	(2)  how many students have entered into individual voluntary arrangements since such agreements were introduced.

David Lammy: Provisions were included in the Higher Education Act 2004 to prevent student loans from being written off on bankruptcy. The numbers of students notifying the Student Loans Company of their bankruptcy declined from 2004 after the legislation came into effect. Currently student loans are not exempt from IVAs.
	
		
			  Borrowers who notified the Student Loans Company of their bankruptcy or IVA while studying( 1. ) England 
			  Financial year  Bankruptcy  IVA( 2) 
			 1993-94 5 0 
			 1994-95 0 0 
			 1995-96 5 0 
			 1996-97 0 0 
			 1997-98 5 0 
			 1998-99 10 0 
			 1999-2000 15 0 
			 2000-01 5 0 
			 2001-02 15 0 
			 2002-03 20 0 
			 2003-04 70 0 
			 2004-05(3) 60 5 
			 2005-06(3) 30 0 
			 2006-07(3) 15 5 
			 2007-08(3) 15 0 
			 (1) Publicly-owned loans. Figures rounded to nearest 5. (2 )IVA includes Trust Deed for students who moved to Scotland. (3 )Since 2004 student loans are not written-off due to bankruptcy. From that time the number of students notifying the SLC of their bankruptcy has declined. 
		
	
	The Government's student finance package is designed to ensure that finance should not be a barrier to a higher education course. Student loans from the Government are not like commercial loans: interest is paid at the rate of inflation, so in real terms students only pay back what they borrowed. For income contingent loans available since 1998, repayment is linked to earnings and borrowers only repay if their earnings are over 15,000 and those taking out a student loan from 2006 have their debt cancelled after 25 years.

Students: Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what the average childcare grant payment to students was in the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much his Department allocated for childcare grant awards to students in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of students attending  (a) higher education institutions and  (b) foundation education colleges were women with children under the age of three in each year since 1997;
	(4)  how many and what proportion of women with children under the age of three years were classified as  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time students in each year since 1997;
	(5)  how many and what proportion of students in  (a) higher education and  (b) foundation education institutions received at least one childcare grant payment in each year since 1997;
	(6)  how much on average  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time students receiving a childcare grant received in grant payments in each year since 1997;
	(7)  for how many weeks a year students eligible for a childcare grant receive the grant.

David Lammy: The childcare grant is available for full-time, higher education students with dependent children in registered or approved child care; it is not available to part-time students. For 2008/09, the childcare grant meets 85 per cent. of actual costs up to a maximum of 148.75 per week for one child (85 per cent. of the actual costs of up to 175 a week) or up to 255 per week for two or more children (85 per cent. of the actual costs of up to 300 a week) throughout the year.
	The following table shows the number of higher education students receiving childcare grant in England in each year since 2004/05(1); consistent information is not available before 2004/05. The table also shows the average payment and the total expenditure in each year.
	(1) Student numbers are rounded to the nearest 100, average amounts are rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		
			  Academic year  Students  Amount ( million)  Average () 
			 2004/05 6,700 18.5 2,760 
			 2005/06 7,300 22.1 3,040 
			 2006/07 8,300 27.2 3,270 
			 2007/08 8,900 31.2 3,490 
		
	
	Students receiving childcare grant make up around 1 per cent. of higher education students applying for some form of student finance support.
	While information is available on students who receive a childcare grant, information is not held centrally which identifies students with children under three, who do not apply for a childcare grant. Therefore the numbers in the table do not necessarily cover all full-time students with children under the age of three. No information is held centrally which identifies part-time students with children under the age of three.

Students: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students in each subject area received funding from the Learning and Skills Council in each year since 2003-04.

Si�n Simon: Table 1 shows the number of learner enrolments/starts by sector subject area which were funded by the Learning and Skills Council, from 2004/05 to 2007/08 academic year. Data cannot be provided on a comparable basis for 2003/04.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of learner enrolments/starts by sector subject area which were funded by the Learning and Skills Council, 2004/05 to 2007/08 
			  2004/05 
			  Sector subject area  Adult and community learning enrolments  Further education enrolments  University for industry enrolments  Work based learning starts  Train to gain starts 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 22,500 103,300 800 4,800 * 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 400,600 552,000 11,000 500 * 
			 Business, Administration and Law 12,500 396,900 74,200 40,400 * 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 15,800 158,200 2,000 25,800 * 
			 Education and Training 1,100 97,000 400 100 * 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 5,200 211,900 42,600 35,400 * 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 63,700 1,039,100 25,400 25,700 * 
			 History, Philosophy and Theology * 143,800 800 * * 
			 Information and Communication Technology 111,800 907,600 430,900 6,100 * 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture 117,300 410,000 27,200 * * 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 303,200 277,800 1,200 6,800 * 
			 Preparation for Life and Work 176,000 2,294,100 392,000 300 * 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 36,100 291,900 700 45,800 * 
			 Science and Mathematics 4,700 345,900 800 * * 
			 Social Sciences 29,900 132,900 100 * * 
			 Not Known 1,300 649,500 300 58,100 * 
			 Total 1,301,900 8,012,000 1,010,500 249,800 * 
		
	
	
		
			  2005/06 
			  Sector subject area  Adult and community learning enrolments  Further education enrolments  University for industry enrolments  Work based learning starts  Train to gain starts 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 18,400 92,600 500 4,200 500 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 367,100 495,800 5,000 300 * 
			 Business, Administration and Law 8,100 331,800 53,200 38,500 4,800 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 8,600 150,200 * 21,700 4,100 
			 Education and Training 8,500 107,200 500 100 300 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 7,900 200,600 18,200 31,100 5,400 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 72,800 862,200 15,700 22,700 8,000 
			 History, Philosophy and Theology 17,800 138,400 700 *  
			 Information and Communication Technology 125,900 716,300 264,000 7,500 600 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture 99,800 353,300 12,300 * * 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 207,800 226,700 1,100 5,900 500 
			 Preparation for Life and Work 190,100 2,321,800 563,300 * 3,600 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 40,000 276,000 1,400 40,200 4,600 
			 Science and Mathematics 3,700 308,100 1,000 * * 
			 Social Sciences 4,700 92,900 100 *  
			 Not Known 1,300 596,800 * 55,800 * 
			 Total 1,182,600 7,270,700 937,100 228,200 32,400 
		
	
	
		
			  2006/07 
			  Sector subject area  Adult and community learning enrolments  Further education enrolments  University for industry enrolments  Work based learning starts  Train to gain starts 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 15,500 79,900 100 3,900 2,800 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 325,600 449,200 1,700 200 100 
			 Business, Administration and Law 9,200 311,600 10,200 37,400 32,900 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 6,800 139,000 * 27,500 32,400 
			 Education and Training 8,900 94,600 100 100 2,000 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 6,500 164,900 5,100 34,700 24,600 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 69,900 590,700 3,800 23,700 47,000 
			 History, Philosophy and Theology 15,500 131,800 200 *  
			 Information and Communication Technology 129,100 513,600 103,700 6,400 5,900 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture 102,600 304,500 3,100 * * 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 166,200 212,900 200 5,600 5,000 
			 Preparation for Life and Work 213,300 1,868,600 466,700 * 19,300 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 34,600 230,700 300 43,000 34,200 
			 Science and Mathematics 4,600 302,600 700 * 100 
			 Social Sciences 1,900 86,400 * *  
			 Not Known * 564,800 29,700 53,300 * 
			 Total 1,110,200 6,045,800 625,900 235,900 206,300 
		
	
	
		
			  2007/08 
			  Sector subject area  Adult and community learning enrolments  Further education enrolments  University for industry enrolments  Work based learning starts  Train to gain starts 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 15,400 75,800 * 4,500 5,700 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 300,800 428,200 100 100 100 
			 Business, Administration and Law 6,800 322,300 7,700 51,800 49,700 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 5,400 142,800 * 27,800 49,100 
			 Education and Training 10,100 93,700 1,300 300 3,400 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 5,200 163,100 6,800 43,100 39,200 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 74,300 535,400 3,800 31,100 73,100 
			 History, Philosophy and Theology 14,600 106,100 100 *  
			 Information and Communication Technology 127,200 402,500 44,400 8,000 8,400 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture 100,100 276,200 900 * * 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 137,300 219,400 200 6,300 9,400 
			 Preparation for Life and Work 199,400 1,763,600 499,700 * 37,600 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 35,900 209,500 * 49,300 56,000 
			 Science and Mathematics 3,800 300,200 1,100 * 100 
			 Social Sciences 1,900 85,800 * *  
			 Not Known * 595,700 165,100 58,200 * 
			 Total 1,038,200 5,720,200 731,200 280,600 331,800 
			 '*' = Indicates a figure of less than 50.  Notes: 1. Data for ACL, Further Education and UFI are based on learner enrolments. One learner may enrol on more than one course e.g. 2 A-levels and will be counted for each learning aim they are recorded on. 2. Data for Work-based learning and Train to Gain are based on learner starts, by year in which the programme of learning was started. 3. Data for Work-based learning include apprenticeships (all levels) and Entry to Employment. 4. Data do not exist on a comparable basis prior to 2004/05. 5. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. 7. Train to gain was launched in April 2006, so comparable data do not exist for 2004/05.  Source: Individualised Learner records

Vocational Training

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what studies his Department has made into giving Government funding to firms to move staff on to part-time working and to use the remaining time to retrain them.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has not conducted research specifically on the issue of Government funding to businesses to move on to part-time working and provide training part-time.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the retail prices of  (a) oven gloves,  (b) aprons,  (c) teddy bears,  (d) photo frames and  (e) fruit drops were in the Downing Street gift shop (i) before and (ii) after the reduction in the rate of value added tax to 15 per cent.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 581-82W.

10 Downing Street: Cost Effectiveness

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 17 July 2008,  Official Report, column 625W, on Downing Street: cost effectiveness, what Gershon savings have been made by 10 Downing Street in each year since the requirements for such savings were set.

Kevin Brennan: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. Details of the Cabinet Office's Gershon Efficiency Programme in relation to SR 2004 were reported in full for the final time in Cabinet Office Autumn Performance Report 2008 which is available in the Libraries of the House for the reference of Members.

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the internal works to No. 10 Downing Street associated with the planning application with Westminster City Council reference 08/00696/1884 have been completed; and what expenditure has been incurred on them.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much has been spent from the public purse in connection with work in 10 Downing Street associated with Westminster city council planning application reference 08/00696/1884; and on what date the work was completed.

Kevin Brennan: The work has been completed. Expenditure figures for 2008-09 will be available after the end of the financial year, once the Cabinet Office accounts have been audited and laid before Parliament.

Carers: Vocational Training

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will bring forward proposals for extended periods of work experience, training and mentoring for care leavers as part of development of policy under the New Opportunities: Fair Chances for the Future White Paper.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	Our White Paper New Opportunities: Fair chances for the Future includes a commitment to improve the support given to care leavers. The Government will fund the National Care Advisory Service for the next two years to work with local authorities and national employers to develop and test models of support into employment. These models will be extended to half of all local authorities in 2010-11 as part of a phased national roll-out. They will include ensuring that care leavers are able to have the opportunity to benefit from apprenticeships, work experience and career mentoring to put them on the path to success.
	We will also be taking steps so that from September 2009 all suitably qualified care leavers will be offered an apprenticeship place, with a view to making this a legal entitlement from 2013.

Census

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will re-assess the merits of the 100-year rule prohibiting publication of census details in the light of the early release of the 1911 census information.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts,  dated  January 2009:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question asking whether the merits of the 100 year rule will be re-assessed. I am replying in her absence. (249612)
	There are no plans to change the policy of closure of census records. Censuses from 1921 onwards were taken under the authority of the Census Act 1920 and are retained in the custody of the National Statistician with the approval of the Lord Chancellor by virtue of Section 3(4) of the Public Records Act. The 1921 Census records are scheduled to be released to the public in January 2022.
	We know from experience that there are public concerns about the confidentiality of the Census and the uses to which the information is put. At the time of a Census explicit assurances are given about the confidentiality of information supplied. If the period of closure for census records were changed now, we would be concerned that this would impact negatively on the public's response. Censuses are conducted for statistical purposes and the later use of them by genealogists is a secondary benefit that should never be allowed to jeopardise the coverage and quality of future Censuses.
	This policy has recently been re-stated in the 2011 Census White Paper which was published on 11 December 2008.
	Please note that the 1911 Census will not be fully open to the public until January 2012. On 13 January the National Archives began releasing a set of information from the 1911 Census. This does not include sensitive personal information, which is currently withheld.

Central Government: Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the Office for National Statistics' Public Sector Employment figures for  (a) Q2 2008 and  (b) Q3 2008, what increases in the employee headcount of which Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies account for the overall increase in central Government employment; and by how much the headcount increased in each case.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question, with reference to the Office for National Statistics' Public Sector Employment figures for (a) Q2 2008 and (b) Q3 2008, what increase in the employee headcount of which Government (a) departments and (b) agencies account for the overall increase in central government employment; and by how much the headcount increased in each case. (249905)
	In Q2 2008, employment in central government increased by 10,000. This increase was driven by a growth in employment in the NHS (12,000 increase). In the same period, the number of employees in the Civil Service decreased by 3,000 (Annex A). A full breakdown of government department and agencies for Q2 2008 is presented in Annex B.
	In Q3 2008, employment in central government increased by 15,000, primarily because of growth in employment in the NHS (21,000 increase). The number of employees in the Civil Service remained the same as the previous quarter (Annex A). A full breakdown of government departments and agencies for Q3 2008 is presented in Annex B.
	
		
			  Annex A: Public sector employment 2008, United Kingdom 
			  Headcount, seasonally adjusted (Thousand) 
			   Central Government( 1, 2. 3. 4)  National health service( 1)  Civil service( 3)  Total public sector 
			 Q1 2,480 1,507 525 5,737 
			 Q2 2,490 1,519 522 5,750 
			 Q3 2,505 1,540 522 5,764 
			 (1) NHS based on projections. (2) National probation service (England and Wales) re-classified from local government to central Government from April 2005. (3) Magistrates Court Service transferred from local government to central Government (and civil service) from April 2005. (4) Central Government includes all administrative departments of government, other central agencies and non-departmental public bodies. It also includes HM forces, the national health service and education academies.  Source: (Unpublished) Public Sector Employment. 
		
	
	
		
			  Annex B: Change in civil service employment Q2 and Q3 2008( 1) , Great Britain 
			  Headcount, not seasonally adjusted 
			   Change on quarter 
			   Q2 2008  Q3 2008 
			  Attorney-General's departments   
			 Crown Prosecution Service 10 100 
			 Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate 0 10 
			 Attorney-General's Office -10 * 
			 Serious Fraud Office 0 10 
			 Treasury Solicitor 20 30 
			 Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office 10 10 
			
			  Cabinet Office   
			 Cabinet Office excluding agencies 30 -20 
			
			  Other Cabinet Office agencies   
			 Central Office of Information -70 20 
			 National School of Government 10 20 
			 Parliamentary Counsel Office * * 
			
			  HM Treasury   
			 HM Treasury -10 50 
			
			  Chancellor's other departments   
			 Debt Management Office 0 * 
			 Government Actuary's Department * * 
			 National Savings and Investments 0 10 
			 Office of Government Commerce * * 
			 OGC Buying Solutions 0 * 
			 Office for National Statistics(2) -3,350  
			 Royal Mint 50 0 
			
			  UK Statistics Authority   
			 UK Statistics Authority(2, 3, 4) 3,850 -30 
			
			  Charity Commission   
			 Charity Commission -10 * 
			  Communities and Local Government   
			 Department for Communities and Local Government -40 -60 
			 Fire Service College 0 0 
			 Ordnance Survey 0 20 
			 Planning Inspectorate * 20 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 0 * 
			
			  Culture, Media and Sport   
			 Department for Culture Media and Sport 10 -20 
			 Royal Parks * 0 
			
			  Defence   
			 Ministry of Defence 700 -550 
			 Defence Support Group -30 180 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 30 30 
			 Meteorological Office 30 30 
			 UK Hydrographic Office -10 -10 
			
			  Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills   
			 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills 30 -60 
			 National Weights and Measures Laboratory 0 * 
			 UK Intellectual Property Office -20 10 
			
			  Department for Children, Schools and Families   
			 Department for Children, Schools and Families -120 * 
			
			  Ofsted   
			 Ofsted -60 120 
			
			  Environment, Food and Rural Affairs   
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs -20 20 
			 Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science 20 10 
			 Central Science Laboratory 40 -40 
			 Government Decontamination Services 0 0 
			 Marine Fisheries Agency 0 10 
			 Ofwat 10 0 
			 Pesticides Safety Directorate(5) -180  
			 Rural Payments Agency -70 60 
			 State Veterinary Service -10 * 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency -40 0 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate * 0 
			
			  Export Credits Guarantee Department   
			 Export Credit Guarantee Department 0 -10 
			
			  Foreign and Commonwealth Office   
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (excluding agencies) -20 -10 
			 Wilton Park Executive Agency * 0 
			  Health   
			 Department of Health (excluding agencies) * -10 
			 Food Standards Agency -10 0 
			 Meat Hygiene Service -90 -50 
			 Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 10 * 
			 National Healthcare Purchasing and Supplies * 0 
			 NHS Business Services Authority -10 0 
			
			  HM Revenue and Customs   
			 HM Revenue and Customs -1,350 -1,380 
			 Valuation Office -180 -40 
			
			  Home Office   
			 Home Office (excluding agencies) -150 -50 
			 Assets Recovery Agency(6) -180 - 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 0 -60 
			 Identity and Passport Service(3) 680 -60 
			 UK Border Agency -240 * 
			 Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism 30 -40 
			
			  International Development   
			 Department for International Development -10 -10 
			
			  Justice   
			 Ministry of Justice (excluding agencies) -60 -260 
			 HM Courts Service 270 30 
			 Land Registry -10 -30 
			 National Archives 20 -10 
			 Public Guardianship Office -10 20 
			 Tribunals Service -80 40 
			 Scotland Office * 0 
			 Wales Office 0 0 
			 Public Sector Prison Service 110 270 
			
			  Northern Ireland Office   
			 Northern Ireland Office 0 0 
			
			  Security and Intelligence Services   
			 Security and Intelligence Services 50 150 
			
			  Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform   
			 Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 40 60 
			 Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service 0 30 
			 Companies House 30 -10 
			 Insolvency Service 30 -40 
			 Office of Fair Trading -20 10 
			 Office of Gas and Electricity Market -20 20 
			 Postal Services Commission 10 -10 
			
			  Transport   
			 Department for Transport 40 0 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 270 -70 
			 Driving Standards Agency 40 10 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency * 10 
			 Highways Agency 30 -20 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency -30 -60 
			 Office of Rail Regulation -10 -10 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency * * 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 40 50 
			
			  Work and Pensions   
			 DWP Corporate and Shared Services 90 1,130 
			 Child Support Agency 10 -170 
			 Job Centre Plus 80 450 
			 Disability and Carers(7) -6,270  
			 Pensions and Disability Carers Service(7) 6,340 -580 
			 Health and Safety Executive 180 -50 
			 Rent Service 0 -70 
			
			  Scottish Government   
			 Scottish Government (excluding agencies)(8) 400 40 
			 Communities Scotland(8) -350  
			 Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service 30 50 
			 Courts Group * * 
			 Fisheries Research Services 10 0 
			 General Register Scotland 10 10 
			 HM Inspectorate of Education 10 0 
			 Historic Scotland 80 -110 
			 National Archive for Scotland 10 -10 
			 Office of Accountant in Bankruptcy 10 10 
			 Registers of Scotland 50 0 
			 Scottish Agricultural Scientific Agency(8) -150  
			 Scottish Buildings Standards Agency(8) -30  
			 Scottish Court Service 50 10 
			 Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency 0 * 
			 Scottish Prison Service Headquarters -20 0 
			 Scottish Public Pensions Agency 10 * 
			 Social Work Inspection Agency 0 0 
			 Student Awards Agency 20 -10 
			 Transport Scotland 20 20 
			 Office for the Scottish Charity Regulator * 0 
			 Mental Health Tribunal Scotland 0 * 
			 Scottish Housing Regulator(9) 60 0 
			
			  Welsh Assembly   
			 Welsh Assembly Government -80 0 
			 ESTYN 0 * 
			 Total employment -800 -700 
			 (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, and numbers less than five are represented by *. Data not available is represented by . (2) The UK Statistics Authority (the Authority) was established on 1 April 2008, when the 'Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007' came into effect. One of the functions of the Authority is to oversee the Office for National Statistics (ONS)its Executive office. As such, one departmental return has been made for the Authority incorporating ONS. (3) On 1 April 2008, employees of the General Register Office were transferred from the UK Statistics Authority to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). (4) As of 1 April 2008, field interviewers are now classified as civil servants and are included as UK Statistics Authority employees. (5) On 1 April, the Pesticides Safety Directorate became an Executive agency of the Health and Safety Executive. (6) As of 1 April 2008, the Assets Recovery Agency merged with the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). (7) The Disability and Carers Service and the Pension Service are now called the Pension, Disability and Carers Service. (8) Communities Scotland, Scottish Agricultural Science Agency and Scottish Building Standards Agency were abolished on 1 April 2008. Staff moved into the Scottish Government. (9) Scottish Housing Regulator was set-up on 1 April 2008.

Charities

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many charities were removed from the Register of Charities, broken down by reason for removal, in the last three years for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the commission to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 21 January 2009:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on the number of charities removed from the Register of Charities in the last three years for which figures are available and to give the reasons for such removals.
	The table below provides details of the charities removed from the Register of Charities in the last three financial years.
	
		
			  Reason for removal  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			 Ceased to exist or operate due to merger, incorporation or transfer of funds 1,592 1,725 1,436 4,753 
			 Ceased to exist or operate for other reasons 3,344 2,691 3,270 9,305 
			 Voluntary removal of charities below the minimum registration threshold 28 8 245 281 
			 Duplicate registrations and other corrections 174 152 122 448 
			 Total 5,138 4,576 5,073 14,787 
		
	
	During the current financial year the Commission has introduced new measures to identify charities that have ceased to operate and where appropriate remove them from the Register. This is expected to result in an increase in the number of charities removed from the Register in the current year and several thereafter.

Children: Disadvantaged

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster  (a) how many and  (b) what percentage of working age households had no one in work in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question how many and what percentage of working age households had no one in work in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency. (249371)
	The available information is provided in the attached table. A copy of the table has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The information requested has been answered using annual estimates derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household dataset, which are only available from 2004. Estimates before 2004 arc derived from the Labour Force Survey and are of insufficient quality for answering this question due to the detail requested. It is vital to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results.
	Figures for households are based on working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.
	Estimates that are deemed unreliable for practical purposes are presented in italics. These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are subject to large variability. Estimates that are reliable are shaded.

Departmental Standards

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the Cabinet Office's definition of avoidable contact as referred to in its Departmental Strategic Objective (DSO) 4 (Key Progress Measure 1) is; and whether the Cabinet Office has sole responsibility for delivery against the targets associated with DSO 4.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office defines avoidable contact as
	contact that adds no value to the outcome. It includes contact that is nugatory, duplicative or caused by failures in business processes.
	This is the definition as set out in the 2007 Service Transformation Agreement Progress Measure 1.
	The targets associated with DS04 were derived from the two progress measures set out in the 2007 Service Transformation Agreement. These relate to avoidable contact reduction and rationalisation of Government websites. Responsibility for delivering these targets lies with the Departments responsible for delivering the relevant services. Responsibility for tracking progress, encouraging changes that will enable these targets to be met and fostering sharing of best practice lies with the Cabinet Office.

Futurebuilders Fund

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 835W, on Futurebuilders: Catz Club, which body scrutinises and evaluates the activities of the Futurebuilders Fund in place of the Futurebuilders Advisory Panel.

Kevin Brennan: The Futurebuilders programme is delivered by Futurebuilders England Ltd. under contract to the Cabinet Office. Oversight is provided by the following mechanisms:
	internal and external audit, as part of the Cabinet Office, including the Cabinet Office Audit and Risk Committee
	through reporting to Cabinet Committees, where appropriate.
	Sheffield Hallam university is carrying out an independent evaluation of the Futurebuilders programme.
	In addition, the new Third Sector Advisory Body is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Third Sector Review commitments and priorities and advising on Office of the Third Sector programmes, including Futurebuilders.

Government Departments: Standards

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many joint avoidable contact workshops were held in November and December 2008; and which Government Departments were represented at such workshops.

Tom Watson: Four avoidable contact workshops were held in November and December 2008two for local government on 11 November and 25 November, and two for central Government Departments on 26 November and 8 December. The following Departments and agencies attended the central Government workshops:
	The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Department for Transport (DfT), the Department of Health (DH), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), NHS Direct, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the National Archives, the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), UK Borders Agency (UKBA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Income: Families

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of families in England have a gross income of less than 58,000 per year.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	24.2 million families, 91 per cent. of all families, have a gross income of less than 58,000 per year.
	 Notes:
	1. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of approximately 26,000 households.
	2. Data for 2006-07 were collected between April 2006 and March 2007.
	3. The figures are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to Government office region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	4. Weekly income is based on self-assessment and therefore may be subject to misreporting.
	5. Income data on the Family Resource Survey are not equivalised. Equivalisation is the process in which household income is adjusted to account for variation in household size and composition.
	6. Family has been interpreted to mean benefit unit, which is defined as a single adult or a couple living as married and any dependent children. Same-sex partners (and cohabitees) are also included in the same benefit unit.
	7. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	 Source:
	Family Resources Survey, 2006-07

Lobbying

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to respond to the First Report from the Public Administration Committee on Lobbying: access and influence at Westminster (HC 36-I).

Kevin Brennan: The Report from the Public Administration Select Committee was published on 5 January. The Government aim to respond within two months of publication.

Lone Parents: Income

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the average wage of working lone parents  (a) in England,  (b) in Wales,  (c) in Scotland,  (d) in Northern Ireland and  (e) nationwide in each of the last 10 years.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the average wage of working lone parents (a) in England, (b) in Wales, (c) in Scotland, (d) in Northern Ireland and (e) nationwide in each of the last 10 years. (249194)
	The information requested is not available. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is the principal source of statistics on employees' earnings but the survey does not collect details of employees' family circumstances. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) collects information about each member of participating households and can therefore be used to estimate how many lone parents there are in work. However, the LFS cannot be used to estimate their average earnings.

Office of the Third Sector: Consultants

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which external consultants the Office of the Third Sector hired in 2007-08.

Kevin Brennan: The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) has engaged outside consultants for specialist recruitment exercises for senior public appointments, for procurement exercises and for the development and/or review of data sources, policies and programmes. The following external consultants were used during 2007-08:
	Hedra;
	Odgers Ray and Berndtson Ltd.;
	ECOTEC Research and Consulting;
	Community Development Foundation;
	Tribal Consulting;
	Get 2 the Point;
	Professor Steve Wilcox;
	CL Ideas;
	Third Sector Prospect;
	St. Chad's College;
	BMG Research; and
	Clive Jones.

Pay: Private Sector

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the median wage of a full-time  (a) private and  (b) public sector worker was in each year since 1996-97.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the median wage of a full-time  (a) private and  (b) public sector worker was in each year since 1996-97. (249955)
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.
	The attached table shows the Median Gross Weekly Earnings for United Kingdom full time employees by private and public sector from 1997 to 2008. Results prior to 1997 are not available for the United Kingdom.
	
		
			  Median  w eekly pay - Gross () - For full-time employee jobs( 1) : United Kingdom 
			   Private  s ector  Public  s ector 
			 1997 309 349 
			 1998 322 358 
			 1999 335 375 
			 2000 345 384 
			 2001 365 402 
			 2002 381 418 
			 2003 392 431 
			 2004(2) 410 452 
			 2004(3) 403 455 
			 2005 411 475 
			 2006(4) 429 486 
			 2006(5) 426 483 
			 2007 439 501 
			 2008 460 522 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) 2004 results excluding supplementary survey for comparison with 2003 (3) 2004 results including supplementary surveys designed to improve coverage of the survey (for more information see National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk (4) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2005 (5) 2006 results with methodology consistent with 2007  Source:  Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Unemployment: Cambridgeshire

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were unemployed in South East Cambridgeshire constituency in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were unemployed in South East Cambridgeshire constituency in each of the last 12 months. (250241)
	Estimates are not available at this level of geographical detail due to the small sample sizes.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Apprentices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many apprenticeships there were in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts and completions in England for 2003/04 to 2007/08.
	
		
			  Apprenticeship starts and completions in England, 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Starts 194,000 189,000 175,000 184,000 225,000 
			 Completions 49,000 67,000 99,000 112,000 113,000 
			  Source: Work-Based Learning ILRs

Castle View Secondary School: Playing Fields

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions his Department has had with  (a) Essex county council and  (b) Castle Point borough council on the disposal of Castle View secondary school playing fields for housing development; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: As part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), and its delivery agentsPartnerships for Schools (PfS), have not engaged in any discussions with Essex county council or Castle Point borough council regarding the disposal of Castle View secondary school playing fields for housing development.

Child Minding: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the minimum age at which a child may be left alone is;
	(2)  what the legal minimum age is for a child to act as a babysitter.

Beverley Hughes: The minimum age at which a child may be left alone is not prescribed in law. If anyone has concerns about the welfare of a child who is left alone, irrespective of their age, they should follow the procedures set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children for making a referral to either the local authority children's social care services or the police. These statutory agencies will then follow their normal processes for assessing whether the child is a child in need or at risk of suffering harm and for deciding what action should be taken to safeguard the child's welfare.
	The law does not prescribe a minimum age below which a child may not act as a babysitter.

Children in Care: Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress his Department has made towards meeting its 2004 public service agreement target to narrow the gap in educational achievement between looked-after children and their peers.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on progress on 2004 public service agreements can be found in the DCSF's Autumn Performance Report 2008: progress against public service agreements. This document is published on the DCSF website.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/#apr.

Children: Abuse

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were abused whilst subject to a child protection plan in each of the last five years in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The available figures cover children who are subject to a Child Protection Plan and include information on category of abuse which led to the plan being put in place and re-referrals. These are available in the annual statistical first release Referrals, Assessments and Children and Young People who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan, England. The latest figures can be found at the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000811/index.shtml.

Children: Poverty

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the Government's policy is on tackling non-financial aspects of child poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Polices on early years, education, health and communities set out in our Children's Plan together with those in our New Opportunities White Paper will help to break the cycles of inter-generational poverty for the future while ensuring that all children get the best start in life now.
	For those who can, work remains the surest and most sustainable route out of poverty. Our policies on welfare reform, childcare, back to work help, skills development and in-work support will further increase parental employment and family income.
	Legislation, planned for this Session, will ensure all levels of Government play their part in delivering these policies and meeting our target to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

Children: Protection

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been identified as being at risk of sexual exploitation in each children's services area in the last year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The Department does not hold this information.

Children's Centres

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start children's centres are in operation.

Beverley Hughes: There are currently 2,920 Sure Start children's centres in England providing access to services to over 2.3 million children and their families.
	By 2010 there will be at least 3,500 centres, one for every community, offering permanent and universal provision to help ensure that every child gets the best start in life.

Departmental Buildings

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in each year since the Department's inception; how much has been spent on wallpaper in that time; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007.
	Information since this time on the amount of expenditure broken down into  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings; wallpaper and plans for further spending on departmental decoration could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Catering

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which  (a) food and  (b) drinks suppliers have been used by his Department since it was established; and how much his Department paid to each such supplier.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold this information as we do not contract directly with suppliers of food and drink. The Department's catering and hospitality service is provided through an external commercial contract catering provider who manage their own supply chain for food and drink suppliers and are only able to provide this information at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Information Officers

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on press officers in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The figures requested are outlined in the following table.
	
		
			   Spend (000) 
			 1998-99 969 
			 1999-2000 997 
			 2000-01 1307 
			 2001-02 1097 
			 2002-03 1314 
			 2003-04 1352 
			 2004-05 1200 
			 2005-06 994 
			 2006-07 1156 
			 2007-08 1173

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the advisers so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department sponsors a number of advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which provide independent expert advice on a number of issues. Appointments to NDPBs are governed by the principles set out in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice. Summary information is published in 'Public Bodies' which can be accessed online at
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies
	or copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Summary information on the political activity of individuals appointed to posts regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments' code of practice is published each year in the Commissioner's annual report.
	In addition, the Government are committed to publishing an annual list detailing the number and costs of special advisers. Information for 2007-08 was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 99-102WS.

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy that temporary and permanent employees of his Department employed at the same grade receive the same hourly rate of pay.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 18 December , Official Report, column 1115W.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent by his Department on staff reward and recognition schemes since its inception.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since its inception, the Department has spent a total of 2.1 million which includes bonus payments and other rewards.

Departmental Personnel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 405W, on departmental manpower, how many priority movers there are in his Department; how many of them were classified as such after returning from maternity leave; and how many staff have been classified as such for at least  (a) six and  (b) 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department currently has eight priority movers, none of whom are returning from maternity leave as these staff return to their previous work areas.
	All staff are actively engaged in work during this transition period, on either key projects or short-term business priority posts.
	There are currently no priority movers over six months.

Departmental Responsibilities

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department's three-year skills strategy has been finalised.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's Skills Strategy for its staff has been finalised and will be communicated to staff in early 2009 as part of a wider People Strategy.

Departmental Responsibilities

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on how many occasions his Department's  (a) External Scrutiny Group,  (b) Implementation Review Unit,  (c) Primary Heads Reference Group and  (d) Secondary Heads Reference Group met in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The External Scrutiny Group met on 11 occasions in 2007, and on 12 occasions in 2008.
	 (b) The Implementation Review Unit met on seven occasions in 2007, and on nine occasions in 2008.
	 (c) The Secondary Heads Reference Group met on three occasions in 2007, and on six occasions in 2008.
	 (d) The Primary Heads Reference Group met on three occasions in 2007, and on three occasions in 2008.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2008,  Official Report, column 10W, on education maintenance allowance, what meetings he has had with the Learning and Skills Council to monitor the administration of education maintenance allowance payments.

Jim Knight: During October and November 2008, DCSF Ministers met with the Learning and Skills Council on nine occasions specifically to discuss the administration of EMA payments.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applicants for education maintenance allowance for 2008-09 are due outstanding payments; and what estimate he has made of the sum of such arrears.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Mark Haysom the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in both Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people were  (a) eligible for and  (b) claimed education maintenance allowance in each parliamentary constituency in the South West in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09.

Jim Knight: Eligibility for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is based on household income. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) does not hold information on the household income of all households with a 16 to 19-year-old who participate in a course that meets the EMA valid provision criteria. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the precise number of young people who were eligible for EMA.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) operate EMA on behalf of DCSF. Mark Haysom the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested on how many young people claimed education maintenance allowance in each parliamentary constituency in the South West in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09. A copy of his reply will be placed in both Libraries.

Education: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what qualifications are considered equivalent to  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level by his Department.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: All level 2 qualifications approved under section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act (2000) contribute towards the reported performance at key stage 4.
	Similarly, all level 3 qualifications approved under the Act contribute to reported performance at post-16.
	An exhaustive list of equivalent qualifications and the size of their contributions can be found at QCA's National Database of Accredited Qualifications website:
	http://www.ndaq.org.uk.

Free School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of children  (a) in England and  (b) in each local authority area (i) were entitled to free school meals in (A) 2006, (B) 2007 and (C) 2008 and (ii) are so entitled in 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The number and percentage of children nationally and in each local authority area that were entitled to free school meals are shown in the following Statistical First Releases. Figures for 2009 are not yet available:
	Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2008 (Provisional) (Figures for nursery and primary schools are available in table 16 and table 17 for secondary schools):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/SFR_09_2008_LA_Tables.xls.
	Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2007 (Provisional) (Figures for nursery and primary schools are available in table 16 and table 17 for secondary schools):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000726/AdditionalTables1.xls.
	Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2006 (Provisional) (Figures for nursery and primary schools are available in table 2(a) and table 2(b) for secondary schools):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000654/Addition1.xls

Free School Meals

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of children accessing Sure Start are eligible for free school meals.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Further Education: Buildings

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on college buildings  (a) in Jarrow constituency,  (b) in South Tyneside,  (c) in the North East and (d) nationwide in each year since 1997.

Si�n Simon: I have been asked to reply.
	As the following table shows, in 1997-98 the total capital expenditure in further education colleges in England in the financial year 1997-98 was nil.
	In total since that time, this Government have invested a massive 2.4 billion and will be investing a record further 2.3 billion across the next three years.
	Capital funding for further education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and I have asked Mark Haysom, the LSC chief executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.
	
		
			  Capital funding in FE (including ILT): 1997-98 to 2007-2008 
			   FE capital funding ( million)( 1) 
			 1997-1998 Nil 
			 1998-1999 Nil 
			 1999-2000 40 
			 2000-01 55 
			 2001-02 147 
			 2002-03 233 
			 2003-04 299 
			 2004-05 372 
			 2005-06 377 
			 2006-07 412 
			 2007-08 507 
			   
			 Total FE capital 2,442 
			 (1) FE Capital funding including Information and Learning Technology

GCSE

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the GCSE and equivalent results were for pupils attending  (a) maintained and  (b) all schools at the end of key stage 4 in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The GCSE and equivalent results for pupils attending maintained schools at the end of key stage 4 in each local authority area are shown in the following Statistical First Releases. Figures for part (b) are not published.
	 GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2007/08 (Revised):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000826/index.shtml (table 18).
	 GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2006/07 (Revised):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml (table 18).
	 GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2005/06 (Revised):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000702/index.shtml (table 18).
	 GCSE and Equivalent Results and Associated Value Added Measures in England  2004/05 (Revised):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000631/index.shtml (table 29c).
	 GCSE and Equivalent Results and Associated Value Added Measures for Young People in England 2003/04 (Revised):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000549/index.shtml (table A-C).
	Note that figures for 2003/04 are for 15-year-old candidates as figures for pupils at the end of key stage 4 are not published.

GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English, mathematics, science and a modern foreign language in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Jim Knight: The proportion of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieving five or more GCSEs and equivalents at grades A* to C including English, mathematics, science and a modern foreign language was 24.1 per cent. in 2007 and 23.7 per cent. in 2008.

GCSE and A-level: Foreign Languages

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many candidates sat modern languages examinations at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level in each of the last five years, broken down by language studied.

Jim Knight: The information requested can be found in the following tables. The latest GCSE figures are taken from the Statistical First Release GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2007/08 (Revised) and can be found in table 10 at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000826/index.shtml.
	
		
			  GCSE attempts and achievements in selected subjects of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in schools (numbers). Coverage: England 
			  Thousand 
			   French  German  Spanish  Italian  Other foreign languages( 1) 
			 2004(2) 289.8 116.3 53.5 n/a 21.9 
			 2005 244.9 99.2 52.2 3.1 18.3 
			 2006 209.8 84.8 52.1 3.1 18.2 
			 2007 189.7 75.8 53.8 3.2 18.5 
			 2008 176.4 71.1 57.0 3.5 19.1 
			 n/a = Not available (1) The 2004 figure includes Italian. (2) Number of GCSE entries by pupils aged 15. 
		
	
	The A-level figures are taken from the Statistical First Release GCE/VCE/Applied A/AS and Equivalent Results in England, 2007/08 (Revised) and can be found in table 11 at
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000827/index.shtml.
	
		
			  Number of A-level entries 2004-08 
			  Thousand 
			   French  German  Spanish  Other foreign languages 
			 2004 12.5 5.6 4.7 4.3 
			 2005 12.0 5.2 4.9 4.5 
			 2006 12.2 5.5 5.2 5.1 
			 2007 12.2 5.6 5.5 5.1 
			 2008 12.6 5.6 5.7 5.5

GCSE and A-level: Foreign Languages

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what foreign languages are offered for study at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The following modern languages are offered both at GCSE and A-Level: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Modern Greek, Bengali, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Dutch, Gujarati, Persian, Portuguese, Turkish, French, German, Spanish, Irish, Italian, Urdu, Russian. Latin and Ancient Greek are also offered at GCSE and A-Level.

GCSE: Children in Care

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of young people in year 11 who had spent at least one year in care gained five or more GCSEs graded A* to C in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested shows that in 2007 (the most recent year) that 12.6 per cent. of young people in year 11 who had spent at least one year in care gained five or more GCSEs graded A* to C.
	This can be found in Table C in the Statistical First Release 'Outcome Indicators for Children Looked After, Twelve months to 30 September 2007England' at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000785/index.shtml.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Mathematics

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of  (a) all pupils and  (b) pupils eligible for free school meals who took GCSEs were not entered for mathematics GCSE in 2008;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of  (a) all pupils and  (b) pupils eligible for free school meals achieved a pass at mathematics GCSE in 2008, broken down by grade.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In 2008, of all pupils in maintained schools who were at the end of their key stage 4 studies, 22,123 (3.7 per cent.) had not been entered for mathematics at GCSE. For pupils eligible for free school meals, 6,324 (8.5 per cent.) had not been entered for mathematics at GCSE.
	In 2008, of all pupils in maintained schools who were at the end of their key stage 4 studies, the numbers and percentages achieving a pass in GCSE mathematics by grade for all pupils, and pupils with FSM, is given in the following table:
	
		
			   A*  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  U 
			  Numbers  
			 FSM pupils 719 2,593 6,401 14,286 12,588 11,578 10,433 6,209 3,560 
			 All pupils 26,152 58,751 99,293 150,474 95,543 65,899 45,251 22,241 11,017 
			   
			  Percentage  
			 FSM pupils 1 3 9 19 17 16 14 8 5 
			 All pupils 4 10 17 25 16 11 8 4 2 
			  Note: Figures relate to pupils at the end of KS4 in maintained schools only.

Gifted Children: Primary Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding his Department has provided for the Young, Gifted and Talented programme in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There is no separate budget for schools to spend on their gifted and talented learners but the Department identified some 1 billion, last financial year and this (i.e. 2007-09), to support personalised education for all pupils, including tailored support for gifted and talented learners.
	The CfBT Education Trust is the Department's national managing contractor for the Young Gifted and Talented Learner Academy. The National Strategies also support gifted and talented education as part of their work contracts. The value of these contracts is commercial in confidence.
	The Department has historically spent between 10-20 million annually on such central support for delivering gifted and talented education.

Gifted Children: Primary Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the steps taken under the Young, Gifted and Talented programme to target those schools which in 2007 did not identify any gifted or talented pupils.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The January 2008 school census shows that 94.4 per cent. of all secondary schools and 76.3 per cent. of primary schools were identifying some 780,250 gifted and talented learners. This represents annual increases of 4.1 per cent. and 15.2 per cent. respectively in the proportion of secondary and primary schools identifying learners and an overall increase of over 81,000 in the numbers of learners identified as gifted and talented. The provisional figures from the summer 2008 census show further increases in the proportion of secondary and primary schools identifying and a total figure of 802,170 of gifted and talented learners. This represents solid progress towards our target of 100 per cent. of schools and colleges identifying up to one million gifted and talented learners by 2010.

Languages: Pre-School Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether children are able to meet the assessment areas in the early years foundation stage in a language other than English.

Beverley Hughes: The early years foundation stage profile sums up and describes each child's development and learning achievements at the end of the early years foundation stage. It is based on ongoing observation and assessment in six areas of learning.
	Personal, social and emotional development
	Communications, language and literacy
	Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
	Knowledge and understanding of the world
	Physical development
	Creative development
	All of the assessment scales in each area of learning can be assessed in the home language, for those learning English as an additional language. However, scale points 4-9 of the communication, language and literacy scales should be assessed in English.

Mathematics: Teachers

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of mathematics teachers in primary schools have qualified teacher status in mathematics.

Jim Knight: The information required is not available in the format requested.
	Teachers in primary schools are qualified to teach all subjects of the national curriculum including mathematics.

National Curriculum Tests: Contracts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 848W, on national curriculum tests: contracts, on what date each risk assessment referred to in the answer was reported to Ministers.

Jim Knight: As a matter of course, officials regularly provided Ministers with briefing and updates on test cycle progress, covering current issues, risks and remedial action taken. Officials reported their assessment of key risks to National Curriculum test delivery to Ministers in submissions on 7 February 2008, 2 April 2008 and 10 June 2008. Ministers responded to these assessments by seeking reassurance from QCA and NAA that they had suitable action in hand to secure delivery of their contractors' obligations.

Play

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent guidance his Department has issued to early years settings on children learning through free play.

Beverley Hughes: The early years foundation stage is based on facilitating development and learning through play. Alongside the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage published in March 2007, we issued a package of materials comprising Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage. This guidance contains advice and additional information for practitioners on how to implement the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage through play. The guidance includes a CD-ROM which directs providers to a range of additional information and provides examples of effective practice.
	The National Strategies have also published a range of additional guidance on the areas of learning within the EYFS which must be delivered through planned and purposeful play.

Play: Tyne and Wear

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding the Government have released to local authorities within the Tyne and Wear area for the maintenance of existing children's play areas and the establishment of new ones in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Our public consultations have shown a consistent and strong demand from children and families for better outdoor play spaces near to where they live. In the Children's Plan we committed to invest an additional 235 million to fund up to 3,500 new and refurbished public play areas nationally, to transform local provision.
	As part of this programme of investment from 2008-09 to 2010-11, all local authorities will be designated as play Pathfinders or Playbuilders. On average all play Pathfinder authorities will receive 2 million capital funding and 500,000 revenue funding over the course of the programme and Playbuilder authorities will receive around 1 million capital and 45,000 revenue funding. Play Pathfinder authorities will develop a minimum of 28 play areas and a new staffed adventure playground, while Playbuilder authorities will develop a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. This includes both new play areas and significant refurbishment of existing play areas.
	There are currently two play Pathfinder authorities (North Tyneside and Sunderland) and two Playbuilder authorities (Gateshead and Newcastle) in the Tyne and Wear area. The following tables show the capital and revenue funding allocations each of these four authorities will receive for 2008-09.
	As part of the launch of the Play Strategy on 10 August we announced the next wave of our capital programme roll-out. For the Tyne and Wear area this means that from April 2009 one of the existing Playbuilders, Newcastle, will become a play Pathfinder and the fifth authority in the area not currently receiving funding, South Tyneside, will become a Playbuilder.
	
		
			  Pathfinders 
			   
			   2008-09 
			  Local authority  Capital funding  Revenue funding 
			 North Tyneside 588,223 136,839 
			 Sunderland 596,450 138,839 
		
	
	
		
			  Playbuilders 
			   
			   2008-09 
			   Capital Funding  Revenue Funding 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 307,407 12,730 
			 Gateshead 300,619 12,553

Pre-School Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children aged  (a) below one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four were in the care of a (i) maintained nursery, (ii) Sure Start children's centre, (iii) private, voluntary or independent nursery and (iv) childminder in each of the last four quarters.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the ages of children in child care and early years providers in England in the form given in tables 1 and 2. The survey does not collect data quarterly, therefore annual figures have been provided.
	
		
			  Table 1: Age breakdown for number of children attending child care and early years providers : 2007 
			  Type of provider  Under 2 years  2 years  3 years  4 years 
			 Full day care 167,900 203,100 249,700 144,400 
			 Full day care in children's centres 14,300 18,800 19,700 11,000 
			 Sessional care 5,200 63,500 158,600 93,700 
			 After school 2,800 4,100 11,300 32,000 
			 Holiday clubs 4,200 5,800 10,600 19,200 
			 Childminder 53,300 39,700 33,600 26,500 
			 Nursery schools(1)   17,600 20,600 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes(1)   119,200 214,000 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery(1)83,800 
			 (1 )These providers were only asked for the number of children in the age groups where figures are presented.  Notes: 1. Children may attend more than one provider and therefore may be included in the figures for more than one of the provider types in the table.  2. Sessional care: defined as facilities where children under eight attend day care for no more than five sessions a week, each session being less than a continuous period of four hours in any day. Where two sessions are offered in any one day, there is a break between sessions with no children in the care of the provider. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of children in England attending child care and early years providers by age group: 2007 
			  Percentage 
			  Type of provider  Under 2 years  2 years  3 years  4 years 
			 Full day care 13 34 42 25 
			 Full day care in children's centres 1 3 3 2 
			 Sessional care 0 10 27 16 
			 After school 0 1 2 6 
			 Holiday clubs 0 1 2 3 
			 Childminder 4 7 6 5 
			 Nursery schools   3 4 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes   20 37 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery15 
			  Notes: 1. These providers were only asked to provide data on the age groups where proportions are presented.  2. Children may attend more than one provider and therefore will be included in the proportions for more than one of the provider types in the table. For this reason some columns total more than 100 per cent..  3. Sessional care: defined as facilities where children under eight attend day care for no more than five sessions a week, each session being less than a continuous period of four hours in any day. Where two sessions are offered in any one day, there is a break between sessions with no children in the care of the provider.

Pre-School Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children aged  (a) below one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four attended a formal childcare setting in each of the last four quarters.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents collects information on the types of childcare used by families. Table 1 as following shows the figures from the 2007 Parents Childcare Survey on use of formal childcare by the age of the child.
	
		
			  Table 1: Use of formal childcare in the last week, by age of child 
			  Age of child  Percentage 
			 0-2 38 
			 3-4 85 
			 5-7 34 
			 8-11 22 
			 12-14 7 
		
	
	The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents is a sample survey therefore absolute numbers of children cannot be provided.
	Quarterly figures are not available.

Pre-School Education: Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1498W, on pre-school education: finance, when he expects the child care strategy to be published.

Beverley Hughes: The child care strategy document will be published on 28 January 2009.

Pre-school Education: Inspections

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has been informed of any complaints made to Ofsted of alleged maladministration by Ofsted relating to inspections of nursery schools in Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency.

Beverley Hughes: We have not been informed of any such complaints made to Ofsted. As an independent non-ministerial Government department, Ofsted has its own internal complaints procedure. There is also an independent complaints adjudicator for Ofsted which handles around 30 complaints a year. These are cases which have exhausted the internal complaints process and where the complainant remains dissatisfied. The complaints adjudicator publishes an annual report which is presented to Ministers; this does not provide details of individual cases. The latest report can be found at
	http://www.ofstedadjudicator.co.uk/pages/publications/2007_ara.pdf.

Pupil Exclusions

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of pupils temporarily excluded from school in the last 12 months were placed on a part-time curriculum; and how long on average the period of part-time attendance was;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of pupils excluded temporarily from school received assessment and support from their local authority's educational psychology service in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of pupils temporarily excluded from school were subsequently assessed by an educational psychiatrist who advised the school on how to support their needs in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Pupil Exclusions: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals were permanently excluded in the last year for which data are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The available information is provided in the table. The figures in the table provide the number of exclusions and not the number of pupils excluded.
	In a small number of cases, individual pupils might have more than one permanent exclusion.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,2,3) : number of permanent exclusions by free school meal eligibilityEngland. 2006/07 (estimates)( 4) 
			   Maintained  p rimary  s chools  State funded secondary Schools( 2)  Special s chools  Total 
			   No.  of exclusions  Percentage of school population( 5)  No.  of exclusions  Percentage of school population( 5)  No.  of exclusions  Percentage of school population( 5)  No.  of exclusions  Percentage of school population( 5) 
			  Permanent exclusions 
			 Pupils eligible for free school meals 450 0.07 2,710 0.61 50 0.16 3,210 0.28 
			 Other pupils 470 0.01 4,750 0.17 110 0.17 5,330 0.08 
			  
			 All pupils(6) 980 0.02 7,520 0.23 180 0.20 8,680 0.12 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes both CTCs and Academies. Information is as reported by schools. See Notes to Editors 5. (3) Includes both maintained special and non-maintained special schools. (4) Permanent exclusion figures are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. See Notes to Editors 4. (5) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year. (6) Totals include 145 permanent exclusions with unclassified free school meal eligibility.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Pupils: Bath

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding was provided  (a) per primary school pupil and  (b) per secondary school pupil in Bath and North East Somerset in 2007-08.

Jim Knight: The per pupil revenue funding figures for Bath and North East Somerset for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are shown in the following table. Since 2006-07 the dedicated schools grant (DSG) is the main source of school funding. As the DSG is distributed through a single guaranteed unit of funding and is distributed from central to local government, a primary/secondary split is not available. The figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19 and are provided in cash terms:
	
		
			   DSG + grants per pupilBath and North East Somerset 
			
			 2007-08 4,270 
			 2008-09 4,430 
			  Notes: 1. Price Base: Cash. 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Schools: Construction

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools constructed under the Building Schools for the Future programme have opened; and which opened  (a) on time and  (b) on budget.

Jim Knight: 50 new schools have opened under the Building Schools for the Future programme to date, including eight in January 2009. The following table illustrates the delivery record for each school against the baseline targets for school openings that were agreed once the programme had started. All projects have been completed within budget.
	
		
			  Local authority  School  Opened  Expected opening date after programme launch  Completed on time  Completed on budget 
			 Bradford Titus Salt School September 2008 September 2007 No Yes 
			 Bradford Tong High School September 2008 September 2007 No Yes 
			 Bradford Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College September 2008 September 2007 No Yes 
			 Bristol Bristol Metropolitan College April 2008 April 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Bristol Brislington Enterprise College September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Bristol The Bridge Learning Campus January 2009 April 2008 No Yes 
			 Bristol Bristol Brunel Academy September 2007 September 2007 Yes Yes 
			 Haringey Haringey Sixth Form Centre (Early Win) September 2007 September 2007 Yes Yes 
			 Kent Ifield School (Early Win) March 2008 March 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Knowsley Christ the King Catholic and Church of England Centre for Learning January 2009 September 2008 No Yes 
			 Lambeth Elmgreen School (temporary accommodation) September 2007 September 2007 Yes Yes 
			 Lambeth The Michael Tippett School February 2008 February 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Lambeth Park Campus November 2008 November 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Lancashire Burnley Campus (Thomas Whitham Sixth Form) September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Lancashire Pendle Vale College (Pendle Vale Campus) September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Lancashire Pendle Community High School (Pendle Vale Campus) September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Lancashire Shuttleworth College September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Leeds Cockburn College of Arts September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Leeds Allerton High School September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Leeds Pudsey Grangefield School September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Leeds Rodillian School September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Leeds Temple Moor High School September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Leicester Fullhurst Community College January 2009 September 2008 No Yes 
			 Lewisham Sedgehill January 2009 January 2008 No Yes 
			 Manchester Newall Green High School September 2008 September 2007 No Yes 
			 Manchester Gorton Education Village (Cedar Mount High School) September 2008 September 2007 No Yes 
			 Manchester St. Paul's September 2008 September 2007 No Yes 
			 Manchester St. Matthews RC High School January 2009 January 2008 No Yes 
			 Manchester Gorton Education Village (Melland High School) September 2008 September 2007 No Yes 
			 Newcastle Benfield School (phase 1 of refurb) September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Newcastle Walbottle Campus Technology College September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Newcastle Walkergate Primary School September 2008 n/a n/a(1) n/a(1) 
			 Newcastle Stocksfield Avenue Primary School September 2008 n/a n/a(1) n/a(1) 
			 Newcastle Kenton School November 2008 November 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Newcastle All Saints College (Early Win) September 2006 September 2006 Yes Yes 
			 Sheffield Chaucer Business and Enterprise College (Early Win) October 2006 October 2006 Yes Yes 
			 Sheffield Yewlands Technology College October 2008 October 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Sheffield Talbot Specialist School January 2009 January 2009 Yes Yes 
			 Sheffield Newfield Secondary School January 2009 January 2009 Yes Yes 
			 Sheffield Silverdale Secondary School January 2009 January 2009 Yes Yes 
			 Solihull Lanchester School September 2008 January 2008 No Yes 
			 Solihull Park Hall School October 2008 January 2008 No Yes 
			 Solihull Archbishop Grimshaw Catholic School October 2008 January 2008 No Yes 
			 Solihull Forest Oak and Merstone Schools (Early Win) May 2006 May 2006 Yes Yes 
			 STaG Bamburgh School (Horsley Hill Community Campus) (Early Win) October 2008 October 2006 Yes Yes 
			 Stoke Birches Head (Early Win) November 2007 November 2007 Yes Yes 
			 Stoke Sandon High School (Early Win) February 2008 February 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Sunderland Oxclose Community School (Early Win) June 2007 June 2007 Yes Yes 
			 Waltham Frederick Bremer September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 Waltham Kelmscott School September 2008 September 2008 Yes Yes 
			 (1) These primary schools were delivered as part of Newcastle's BSF Local Education Partnership, but were not originally included in the programme.

Schools: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in the National Challenge initiative reported a budget surplus in the last year for which data are available; and how much the surplus was in each case.

Jim Knight: I have placed the information requested in the Library. It sets out the value of the budget surplus as at 31 March 2008, for those maintained schools which are being supported with National Challenge funding. Please note that all the figures provided here for 2007-08 exclude schools in Cumbria as that local authority has yet to make a 2007-08 Section 52 Outturn submission.

Schools: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been allocated to each category of possible expenditure under the National Strategies programme in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The National Strategies is a key mechanism for supporting schools and local authorities to improve teaching and learning of core subjects. 469 million was allocated for the delivery of the National Strategies programmes in 2007-08. This included:
	377 million support via the Standards Fund for local authority delivery and for schools and settings to access the National Strategies' training and support programmes
	92 million for the central delivery of the National Strategies programmes. This included the provision of an education field force, as well as substantial free Continuing Professional Development (CPD) resources provided through the web and in hard copy for teachers and practitioners.
	The expected spend in 2008-09 will be in the region of 471 million.
	306 million support via the Standards Fund for schools and settings to access the National Strategies' training and support programmes.
	60 million for local authority delivery and support to schools which is now a component part of the Area Based Grant paid to local authorities and which allows them to allocate resources according to local needs.
	Approximately 105 million for the central delivery of the National Strategies programmes, including increased support for the Functional Skills pilot and the introduction of the National Challenge programme at secondary.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been paid to each national challenge school since June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I have placed the information in both Libraries. It shows the amount of funding which has been agreed through national challenge funding plans. It excludes maintained schools below the floor in city challenge areas (which are funded on a different basis).

Special Educational Needs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of pupils had special educational needs without statements in January 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There were 1,390,670 pupils that had special educational needs that did not have statements; this represents 17.2 per cent. of pupils on roll across all schools. The figures are taken from the 'Special Educational Needs in England: January 2008' Statistical First Release, the latest of which can be found online at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000794/index.shtml.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many maintained special schools  (a) opened and  (b) closed in 2007-08, broken down by local authority; and how many of those which opened were new builds;
	(2)  how many representations his Department has received on the closure of special schools since its inception.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's records, based on the available information provided by local authorities for the number of maintained special schools opened and closed in the academic year 2007-08, is given in the following tables. Information on the number of maintained special schools opened in 2007-08 which were newly built is not available.
	
		
			  Local authority maintained special schools openings by local authority academic year 2007-08 
			  Local authority  Total 
			 Barnsley 1 
			 Bromley 1 
			 Coventry 1 
			 Derby 1 
			 Doncaster 5 
			 Lancashire 3 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Portsmouth 1 
			 Rochdale 3 
			 Sheffield 1 
			 Walsall 2 
			 Wigan 1 
			 Worcestershire 2 
			   
			 Total 23 
		
	
	
		
			  Local authority maintained special schools closures by local authority academic year 2007-08 
			  Local authority  Total 
			 Bedfordshire 1 
			 Bristol City of 1 
			 Coventry 2 
			 Doncaster 7 
			 Lancashire 3 
			 Sheffield 2 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 1 
			 Walsall 1 
			 Wigan 2 
			   
			 Total 20 
			  Source: Edubase 
		
	
	The Department receives a number of representations on special educational needs issues. Representations on the closure of special schools are not recorded separately.

Special Educational Needs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what funding he plans to provide to local authorities to enable them to implement the speech, language and communication needs action plan;
	(2)  which local authorities have been selected as local area pathfinders under the speech, language and communication needs action plan.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Local authorities already have substantial funding to support children with special educational needs (SEN), including SLCN. Local authorities' planned expenditure to support children with SENincluding speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)is approximately 5.1 billion in 2008-09 (up from 2.1 billion in 2001-02). The pathfinder programme announced in Better Communication, the SLCN action plan published in December 2008, will demonstrate how local authorities and primary care trusts can prioritise and commission services for children with SLCN more efficiently and effectively within existing overall resources.
	Details of how we will select the pathfinders and details of the funding available will be announced in due course.

Special Educational Needs

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost to local authorities was of residential school placements for children with statements of special educational needs in England in the last year for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is not collected centrally by the Department. However, during the 2008-09 financial year local authorities in England budgeted net expenditure of over 5.1 billion for the provision of education for children with special educational needs. It is not possible to identify how much of this 5.1 billion was for the total cost of residential school placements for children with statements of special educational needs as the data are not collected in that way.

Teachers: Recruitment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions Ofsted has had with the Training and Development Agency on the relationship between teacher recruitment and systemic school failure in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in both Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 19 January 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	In the last 12 months, there were three informal discussions between Ofsted's staff and those of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). These focused on the connection between staff recruitment and retention, and low performing schools. They involved discussion of Ofsted's evidence on staffing issuesfor example, the relationship between staff turnover and school performance.
	Additionally, Ofsted inspects the quality of teacher training. Its judgements are used by the TDA in its decisions about arrangements for teacher training.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Young Offender Institutions: Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which young offender institutions have been found by inspectors to be providing too narrow a curriculum; and what steps he is taking to remedy the issue.

Beverley Hughes: Inspection reports on individual young offender institutions (YOIs) are public documents and available on-line and contain specific assessments of the education provision. The annual report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills 2007/08 reported that the range of vocational provision for children and young people in secure settings is often too narrow. However, the current re-tendering process for the Offender Learning and Skills Service contracts for the provision of education and training in YOIs has set clear requirements for the core curriculum in YOIs. We also published our plans to improve education and training in custody within the Youth Crime Action Plan (July 2008). This included a commitment to place local authorities in the lead for securing education in juvenile custody, and this is scheduled to form part of the forthcoming Children, Skills and Learning Bill. The aim is to ensure education in custody meets young peoples' personal needs and so far as is practical matches that available for children and young people in the mainstream education system.